Louis Alexis Étienne Bonvin (6 November 1886 in

Montluçon Montluçon (; oc, Montleçon ) is a commune in central France on the river Cher. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's prefecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known a ...

(

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after ...

) – 23 February 1946, Montluçon (Allier)) was a French diplomat and colonial official of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...

, who served as governor of

French India French India, formally the ( en, French Settlements in India), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian Subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were '' ...

between 1938 and 1946.

Early life

Louis Bonvin was born on 6 November 1886 in Montluçon (Allier) to a family of shopkeepers. He studied in Paris where he graduated from '' Hautes études commerciales'' (HEC), and in 1912, joined the colonial administration in

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 ...

. Promoted to deputy director of the colonies in 1914, he served successively in

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

Middle Congo Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

, and then

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

. In 1933 he was appointed Inspector of Administrative Affairs in Gabon, and then became acting Governor in 1934. He was appointed Governor in 1936, serving till December 1937.

French India

In 1938, The French government appointed him governor of French India, a colony shaken by unrest in the textile mills. In the course of the French military debacle during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Bonvin telegraphed to the French government (then in Bordeaux) on 20 June 1940, declaring the will of the people of French India to continue the war on the side of the Allies. However, following the signing of the

Armistice of 22 June 1940 The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June. Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel ...

, he immediately recognized the government of

Marshal Pétain Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated ...

. Shortly afterward, under pressure from Colonel Schomberg, the British consul in Pondicherry, who warned him that the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

would occupy the colony if he didn't declare for

General 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 ...

, he reverted his decision. In an appeal to the people of 27 June 1940, Bonvin announced that the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exist ...

(and therefore the French Establishments in India) "will remain on the British side until the final victory." On 12 July, Governor Bonvin, through the British, assured de Gaulle of the cooperation of French India. On 9 September 1940, two days after having informed the authorities and officers of the colony of his decision, Louis Bonvin proclaimed the formal adherence of French India to

Free France 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 ...

. General de Gaulle immediately confirmed Bonvin's position as Governor. The

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

denounced Bonvin for this action. On 14 January 1942, the Vichyite Permanent Military Tribunal of

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

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, ...

found him guilty of "delivery to a foreign power of territory belonging to France", and sentenced him to death. His wife, Marcelle Bonvin, was sentenced to penal servitude for life. As Bonvin was not in Indochina, this had no real effect. For the duration of hostilities, Bonvin was at the forefront as a representative of General de Gaulle for India and the East from 1940 to 1944. He was a member of the Defense Council of the Empire and worked to provide all possible assistance to the Free French forces (''Forces Françaises Libres'', FFL) including those under the command of General Kœnig in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. This aid was funnelled through the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

committee headed by Bonvin's wife; some of it came from soldiers of the FFL in the form of subscriptions and also remittances. Before he left India in September 1945, the British government, for services rendered to the Allied cause, awarded him the dignity of Knight Commander of the

Order 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 ...

. Louis Bonvin died on 23 February 1946, as a result of an illness contracted in India, three months after his return to Montluçon, his hometown, where he is buried.

Titles Held

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonvin, Louis Alexis Etienne French colonial governors and administrators Colonial Governors of French Gabon French generals Governors of French India Companions of the Liberation Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur People from Montluçon 1946 deaths 1886 births Free French Forces

Early life

French India

Titles Held

See also

References