Henri Camille Sautot (5 May 1885 – 23 March 1963) was a French colonial governor.

Biography

Sautot was born in

Bourbonne-les-Bains Bourbonne-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France in the region Grand Est.

and attended school in Nancy.Former Governor Of New Caledonia Dies In Noumea
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1963, p141 He studied at the

Nancy-Université Nancy-Université federated the three principal institutes of higher education of Nancy, France, Nancy, in Lorraine (region), Lorraine, France before their merger into the University of Lorraine: * Henri Poincaré University (UHP, also known as ...

before carrying out national service.Henri Sautot
Order of Liberation Sautot became an Indigenous Affairs clerk in 1909, before becoming a colonial administrator in 1915. He was appointed chief of staff of the Governor of

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...

in 1925, before becoming Acting Governor of St Pierre and Miquelon in 1929, serving until 1932. He was appointed Resident Commissioner of the New Hebrides in 1932, a post he held until becoming Acting Governor of Tahiti in 1935. He returned to his post in the

New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...

in 1937. Following the occupation of France in 1940, Sautot declared the New Hebrides' allegiance to the

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

on 20 July, the first territory to do so. On 13 September

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

appointed him Governor of New Caledonia. He sailed to New Caledonia and, greeted by large crowds on his arrival, went straight to Government House and removed Colonel Denis from office. He subsequently set up the which sailed in May 1941 to fight in North Africa and Europe. He was made a companion of the

Order of Liberation The Order of Liberation (french: Ordre de la Libération) is a French Order which was awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is a very high honour, second only after the ''Légion d’Honneur'' (Legion of Honour ...

on 1 August 1941, later also becoming a Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

and an

Officer of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. However, after the new French High Commissioner in the Pacific

Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, in religion Father Louis of the Trinity, O.C.D. (7 August 1889 – 7 September 1964), was a Discalced Carmelite friar and priest, who was also a diplomat and French Navy officer and admiral; he became one of the ...

arrived in 1942, disagreements between the two led to Sautot being deported to Auckland in New Zealand in May 1942. Later in 1942 Sautot was appointed Governor of Ubangi-Shari by de Gaulle, a post he held until retiring in 1946. He then returned to New Caledonia with his New Caledonian wife. He entered local politics, and served as mayor of Nouméa between 1947 and 1953. Sautot died in a clinic in Nouméa in March 1963.

Biography

References

Further reading