Théogène François Page (; 31 March 1807 – 2 February 1867) was a French naval officer.
He was Commissioner of Tahiti from 1852, Governor of Tourane (Da Nang) in Vietnam from 1859 to 1860, then governor of Cochinchina in Saigon from 1860 to 1861.
Life
Early career (1807–45)
Théogène François Page was born on 31 March 1807 in
Vitry-le-François
Vitry-le-François () is a Communes of France, commune in the Marne (department), Marne Departments of France, department in northeastern France. It is located on the river Marne (river), Marne and is the western terminus of the Marne–Rhine Ca ...
, Marne.
He entered the
École Polytechnique
(, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris.
The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...
in October 1825.
On 1 November 1827 he became a pupil at the
École navale
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* Éco ...
.
In both schools he was an outstanding pupil.
As a midshipman he campaigned in the Levant on the ''Coureur''.
Page was promoted to ''
'' (ensign) on 10 February 1830.
He was on the
''Amphitrite'' in the
Invasion of Algiers in 1830
The invasion of Algiers in 1830 was a large-scale military operation by which the Kingdom of France, ruled by Charles X, invaded and conquered the Deylik of Algiers.
Algiers was annexed by the Ottoman Empire in 1529 after the capture of Algi ...
.
He visited the West Indies and the coast of Africa.
On 30 May 1832 he was shipwrecked on the ''Faune''.
In July 1834 he was assigned to the ''Pélican'' and in December 1834 was on the ''
Duquesne
__NOTOC__
Duquesne or Duchesne ( , ; old spelling Du Quesne, American spelling DuQuesne) is a family name derived from a northern dialectal form of French (Norman and Picard) meaning ''du chêne'' in French ("of the oak").
The anglicization of t ...
''.
Page was promoted to ''
lieutenant de vaisseau
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant (; ) is a naval officer rank, used in a number of countries. The name derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship ( corvettes and frigates).
It ...
'' (ship-of-the-line lieutenant) on 22 January 1836.
In March 1836 he was on the ship of the line ''
Trident
A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
''.
He distinguished himself by his bravery in the
First Franco-Mexican War
The Pastry War (; ), also known as the first French intervention in Mexico or the first Franco-Mexican war (1838–1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Mexican ports and the capture of the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa ...
(1838–39).
In the
Battle of Veracruz (1838)
The Battle of Veracruz, also known as the Battle of San Juan de Ulúa, was a naval engagement that pitted a French frigate squadron under Rear Admiral Charles Baudin against the Mexican citadel of San Juan de Ulúa, which defended the city of ...
he played an important role in the attack on
San Juan de Ulúa
San Juan de Ulúa, now known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa, is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island of the same name in the Gulf of Mexico overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico. Juan de Grijalva' ...
.
He was made 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
on 6 March 1839.
Page served in Argentina.
In December 1838 he was on the ''Naïade'', then in June 1840 on the ''Licorne''.
Page was promoted to ''
capitaine de corvette
Corvette captain is a rank in many European and Latin American navies which theoretically corresponds to command of a corvette (small warship). The equivalent rank is lieutenant commander in the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies, the Uni ...
'' (lieutenant commander ) in March 1841.
For three years he commanded the ''Favorite'' in the Indian Ocean and China.
In 1842 he visited
Muscat
Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
, Oman, where he observed an extensive date garden.
He served in China where, although forbidden by his superior, he entered the
Yangtze
The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ) is the longest river in Eurasia and the third-longest in the world. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and flows including Dam Qu River the longest source of the Yangtze, i ...
river.
He travelled up the river without a map to
Nanjing
Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400.
Situated in the Yang ...
.
In July 1844 Page was aide-de-camp to Minister of the Navy and Colonies
Ange René Armand, baron de Mackau
Ange René Armand, Baron de Mackau (17 February 1788 – 13 May 1855) was a French naval officer and politician. In 1825, he led 14 brigs of war to Haiti in one of the earliest instances of gunboat diplomacy, forcing the recently emancipated peop ...
.
He was promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honour on 17 October 1844.
Captain (1845–54)
Page was made ''
capitaine de vaisseau
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy, navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
Equivalent ranks worldwide in ...
'' (ship-of-the-line captain) in December 1845.
In 1845 he was appointed commander of the Oceania naval division.
In May 1849 he headed the commission of Maritime Justice.
Page was appointed commander in chief of the Oceania naval division in September 1851 with the ''Artémise'' as his flagship.
He became imperial commissioner to the
Society Islands
The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...
.
Page was commissioner in
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
from 16 June 1852 to 26 March 1854.
He was also responsible for
New Caledonia
New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
, which was attached to the
French Establishments in Oceania in 1853.
Page was energetic and enterprising, and helped the recovery of Tahiti after the devastation of the
Franco-Tahitian War
The Franco-Tahitian War () or French–Tahitian War (1844–1847) was a conflict between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Tahiti and its allies in the South Pacific archipelago of the Society Islands in modern-day French Polynesia.
Ta ...
.
He made
Papeete
Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...
an important seaport.
He developed the Pointe de Fare Ute with two docks, an arsenal and warehouses, which encouraged whalers to use Papeete for refreshment.
He founded the newspaper ''Le Messager de Tahiti''.
Businesses in Papeete were listed on stock exchanges from
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
In October 1854 Page was back in France as naval major general in
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department.
The Commune of Toulon h ...
.
Admiral (1858–67)
In August 1858 Page was promoted to ''
contre-amiral
Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Dependi ...
'' (rear admiral) and then was given command of the China Seas division.
He spent 1859 to 1861 on the China and Indochina fronts, where he served beside and then replaced
Charles Rigault de Genouilly
Admiral Pierre-Louis-Charles Rigault de Genouilly (, 12 April 1807 – 4 May 1873) was a French naval officer. He fought with distinction in the Crimean War and the Second Opium War, but is chiefly remembered today for his command of French and S ...
.
He was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honour on 13 August 1859.
He was governor of Tourane (now
Da Nang
Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the HÃ n River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...
) from 19 October 1859 to 23 March 1860, replacing Rigault de Genouilly.
He wrote,
In February 1860 Page had to divert most of his forces to reinforce Admiral
Léonard Charner
Léonard Victor Joseph Charner (13 February 1797 – 7 February 1869) was an Admiral of the French Navy. As a commander of French naval forces in Asia from May 1860 to September 1861, including the Second Opium War and the Cochinchina campaign, h ...
in China, where France was at war.
Page tried to negotiate for freedom of trade and religion with the Vietnamese regime at
Huế
Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
.
On 23 March 1860 Page replaced
Bernard Jauréguiberry
Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry (; 26 August 1815 – 21 October 1887) was a French admiral and statesman.
Early life
A native of Bayonne, Jauréguiberry entered the French Navy in 1831. He became a lieutenant in 1845, a commander in 1856, and a c ...
, acting governor of
Cochinchina
Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; ; ; ; ) is a historical exonym and endonym, exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts, usually for Southern Vietnam. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer t ...
in Saigon.
Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat
Justin Napoléon Samuel Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat, 4th Marquis of Chasseloup-Laubat (29 May 1805, Alessandria, Department of Marengo, French Empire – 29 March 1873, Paris, France) was a French aristocrat and politician who became Minister ...
, Minister of the Navy, disagreed with Page's Vietnamese policy and had him transferred.
On 1 April 1860
Joseph Hyacinthe Louis Jules d'Ariès took over as acting governor of Cochinchina in Saigon until Admiral Charner formally replaced Page as governor on 6 February 1861.
In August 1861 Page was promoted to ''
vice-amiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...
'' (vice admiral).
In February 1863 he was appointed maritime prefect of
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort (; ), unofficially Rochefort-sur-Mer (; ) for disambiguation, is a city and communes of France, commune in Southwestern France, a port on the Charente (river), Charente estuary. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Cha ...
.
He was a member of the admiralty council in October 1863.
He was made chairman of the Naval Works Council in September 1864.
Page was promoted to Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour on 11 August 1865.
He died in Paris on 2 February 1867.
Publications
Publications by Page included:
*
*
*
Notes
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Theogene François
1807 births
1867 deaths
Governors of Cochinchina
French Navy admirals