Léon Geismar (1895–1944) was a French politician and colonial governor of French West Africa.

Early life

He was born in

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

to a pious Jewish family. His father was a

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to de ...

, and his ancestors included General

Gédéon Geismar Gédéon Geismar (10 January 1863 – 28 June 1931) was a French-Jewish military officer who became a Zionist activist later in life. He was the first president of the Jewish National Fund and a president of the Eclaireurs Israélites de France. ...

Life and career

He initially served for the German army in World War One, but deserted to France in September 1914. He received several awards for his actions during the war, including the

Escapees' Medal The Escapees' Medal () is a military award bestowed by the government of France to individuals who were prisoners of war and who successfully escaped internment or died as a result of their escape attempt. The "Escapees' Medal" was established by ...

and the

Volunteer Combatant's Cross The Volunteer combatant's cross () was a French decoration that originally recognized those who volunteered to serve in a combat unit during World War II. It is the equivalent of the " 1914–1918 Volunteer combatant's cross" (). History This dec ...

. After the war ended, Geismar studied for university and then moved to Dakar shortly after. His importance eventually grew to the point where he became Governor General of French West Africa. He received several honours during his time in Africa, including the

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, Dragon of Annam, and finally a

Knight of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, the highest order of merit in France. Under the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

, Geismar was subjected to extreme persecution, and told by authorities that he would have to give up all his posts within a month. He was then demoted from Governor general to

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

for

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

Personal life

He was married to a Malagasy Catholic, Marguerite Mouneyres, a descendant of Ranavalo III, and had one daughter. Geismar converted to Catholicism after marriage, but was still treated as a Jew by Vichy authorities. Geismar was fluent in six languages (including

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German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Hausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also ...

, and

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) and had at least some knowledge of

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, Portuguese, and

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. Geismar's views on the

Zionist movement Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly co ...

remain unclear, however, in 1940 he expressed doubt in a letter to his Zionist sister that a

Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...

would be possible given that the Middle East had "become an

Arab state The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

". Besides this letter, there are no other records of Geismar stating his opinion on Zionism again.

Works

* ''Recueil des coutumes civiles des races du Sénégal : établi par L. Geismar ...'' * ''Rapport général sur l'artisanat indigène : congrès international et intercolonial de la Société indigène, 5 au 10 octobre : Exposition coloniale internationale de Paris, 1931'' * ''Rapport général sur la protection de la vie locale : congrès international et intercolonial de la Société indigène, 5 au 10 octobre : Exposition coloniale internationale de Paris, 1931''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geismar, Leon Knights of the Legion of Honour 1895 births 1944 deaths Jewish French politicians Governors of French West Africa People from Alsace Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism Alsatian Jews French military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of the Dragon of Annam Jewish French military personnel