Maurice Antoine François Monguillot (9 August 1874 – 23 June 1945) was a French

colonial administrator Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

and soldier. He served as the acting governor-general of

three times; from May 1919 to February 1920, April 1925 to November 1925 and November 1927 to August 1928.

Biography

Monguillot was named a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur on 18 January 1911, an Officier (Officer) of the Légion d’Honneur on 23 March 1916, Commandeur (Commander) of the Légion d’Honneur on 18 January 1921. His published notice for Commandeur of the Légion d’Honneur in 1925 notes that he had served as a Resident Superior (First Class) in Indo-China, Resident Superior in

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includ ...

and was later administrator of the Distilleries of Indochine, president of the Colonial Trust, then president of the nationalized tin mines in Upper Tonkin. He won admission to the

École Polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

of the Ministère de la Guerre in 1894 for four years, then served as an artillery soldier in the

Troupes de marine The (TDM, ) is a corps of the French Army that includes several specialities: infantry, artillery, armoured, airborne, engineering, and transmissions (Signals). Despite its name, it forms part of the Army, not the Navy. Intended for amphibi ...

from 1896 and into

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

until 1916. He served in Tonkin in 1902 during wartime, in peacetime Tunisia in 1906, to the

French Antilles The French West Indies or French Antilles (french: Antilles françaises, ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Antiy fwansez) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two overseas departments of: ** Guadeloup ...

in 1908, in

Cochinchina Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...

in 1909, wartime Tonkin in 1912, wartime

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

1911–1912,

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...

1913–1914 and in the First World War in France from 2 August 1914 to 31 March 1916. His school admission records to the École Polytechnique note that he was 1.67m tall with dark blonde hair and grey-blue eyes. During his time as administrator in Asia, he published a decree on 30 October 1925, protecting the Angkor site. During Andre Malraux's time in Indochina, Monguillot watched him closely due to his association with

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

; when Malraux was in Hanoi, Monguillot refused to see him. Monguillot asked to exercise (and was granted) his pension rights due to his long tenure with the government (with a special dispensation because of his age) starting 1 March 1929. He was aged 55 at the time. Monguillot had a bird named after him, the Vietnamese greenfinch, so named by the American ornithologist Jean Théodore Delacour in 1926 under the binomial name ''Hypacanthis monguilloti''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montguillot, Maurice Antoine François 1874 births 1945 deaths French colonial governors and administrators French soldiers Governors-General of French Indochina Recipients of the Legion of Honour French people in colonial Vietnam