Jean-François, comte de Durat (30 October 1736 – 1830) was a French Royal Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Grenada from 1779 to 1783. Born at Chateau Vauchaussades, Combrailles, in the Auvergne, Durat's family had a history of military service. In 1751 he joined the French army, serving in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. He distinguished himself in the Siege of Fort St Philip, and was assigned to coastal defences until 1759, when he joined a planned expedition against Ireland that failed due to British blockades of French ports. He was sent to the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

in 1763, serving as artillery chief at

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. In 1774 he was awarded the Order of Saint Louis for his service. By 1778 he had risen to lieutenant colonel of the Regiment de Cambrésis. The following year he was part of Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing's expedition to capture Grenada, leading an advance unit that participated in the storming of Hospital Hill. D'Estaing rewarded Durat by appointing him governor of the island, a post he held until the British retook control under terms of the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Durat's governance was noted by the British residents to be harsh, and there was a backlash against the island's French residents afterward. These divisions contributed to the near-success of the Fédon Rebellion in 1795–96. After his return to France, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1784, and field marshal in 1788. He died at his home, Chateau Vauchaussade, on 20 January 1830. He was twice married. By his second wife he had a son Sébastien Henri de Durat (1788–1806) who followed him into military service, joined the 34th Line Infantry Regiment and died of wounds sustained at Jena.

References

''Bulletin de la Société Scientifique, Historique, et Archéologique'', Volume 35
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durat, Jean-Francois comte de 1736 births 1830 deaths Order of Saint Louis recipients Governors of Grenada French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War Marshals of France