Marcel Treich-Laplène, born June 24, 1860 in

Ussel, Corrèze Ussel (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Its inhabitants are called Ussellois. Location The community of Ussel is located in the Massif central on the foothills of the plateau de Millevaches. The city itself s ...

, France, and died March 9, 1890 in Grand Bassam,

Côte d'Ivoire 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 city and ...

, which was then the administrative capital of

, was the first European explorer of Côte d'Ivoire and its first colonial administrator.

Childhood and Adolescence

Marcel Treich-Laplène is the son of Gustave Treich-Lapèlne, a notary of

Meymac Meymac (; ) is a commune in the department of Corrèze, in central France. History During the Hundred Years' War it was pillaged by Rodrigo de Villandrando. Geography The commune lies just south of the Millevaches Plateau and northwest of t ...

, who became the mayor of Ussel, after being the

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

Tizi Ouzou Tizi Ouzou or Thizi Wezzu (, Kabyle: Tizi Wezzu) is a city in north central Algeria, and capital of Tizi Ouzou Province and Tizi Ouzou District. It is among the largest cities in Algeria. It is the second most populous city in the Kabylia reg ...

, then

Kabylie Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle language, Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kaby ...

, and finally

Comores The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

. With the death of his father in

1882 Events January * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in New York at the ...

, the young Marcel, upon returning from his military service in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, suspended his legal studies in order to support his family. With the help of a friend of his father's, he was hired as a tutor in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

, France. It was here that he met Arthur Verdier. This page is a work in progress. All information is translated from its corresponding article in French. 1860 births 1890 deaths 19th century in Ivory Coast 19th-century French explorers French colonial governors and administrators People from Ussel {{gov-bio-stub