Eugène Laurent (1850-1926) was a former mayor of
Port Louis
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is admi ...
and one of the founders of the political party ''
Action Libérale'' in
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
in 1907.
Early life
Eugène Laurent was born in a Creole family on the island of Mauritius. He completed his secondary education at
Royal College Curepipe
The Royal College Curepipe (commonly known as RCC) is the most prestigious secondary school in Mauritius, with extremely high admission standards. Since 1791 it has been regarded as a school of excellence and started to build a consistent laure ...
and travelled to England to study medicine.
Political career
Laurent was repeatedly elected as
Mayor of Port Louis from 1905 to 1919.
In 1907, Laurent formed the new political party ''Action Libérale'' in collaboration with white
Franco-Mauritians
Franco-Mauritians () form an ethnic group of white people in Mauritius who trace their ethnic ancestry to France and ethnic French people. Franco-Mauritians make up approximately 2% of the country's population. Other than documented European ance ...
Anatole de Boucherville and Edouard Nairac in order to fight against the conservative white establishment led by Sir Henri Leclezio of the Oligarchy's ''Parti de L'Ordre'', and to represent the rights of the Creole community.
Following his party's defeat at the 1911 general elections, Laurent migrated to London, England in 1919 where he died in 1926.
Legacy
In the city of Port Louis a major street is named after Laurent.
See also
*
Maurice Curé
Maurice Curé (1886-1977) was one of the founders of the Labour Party in Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Mada ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurent, Eugène
Mauritian physicians
Mauritian Creoles
1926 deaths