Victor Severe (born 1 November 1867 in Case-Pilote,

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 ...

; died 2 October 1957) was a politician from

. He was mayor of Fort de France several times between 1900 and 1945 and served in the

Chamber of Deputies of France The Chamber of Deputies (, ) was the lower house of parliament in France at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries: * 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies ...

from 1906 to 1914, 1924 to 1928 and 1936 to 1942. He was also President of the General Council of Martinique from 1905 to 1906.

Biography

Victor Sévère undertook his secondary studies at the lycée de Saint-Pierre where he obtained his baccalaureate, continuing to study law in France. After completing his degree, he was admitted to the

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

. In

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, he was elected general councillor from 1893 to 1896. He then returned to his native Martinique and joined the bar in Fort-de-France. Jules Sévère, his brother, was mayor of Case-Pilote from 1897 to 1913.

Second World War

At the beginning of the Occupation, when Martinique was administered by Admiral

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

, Victor Sévère was fiercely opposed both to it and to the Vichy regime. In 1941, he was removed from the mayor's office in the capital and Admiral Robert appointed Jean de Laguarigue in his place. In 1942 he participated in the Resistance and was particularly noticed after the landing in North Africa. In 1943, he contributed to the formation of the National Liberation Committee which ensured that the West Indies joined the Free French Forces.

References

1867 births 1957 deaths People from Case-Pilote Radical Party (France) politicians Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 10th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of Parliament for Martinique Members of the Provisional Consultative Assembly French general councillors Mayors of places in Martinique French Freemasons French Resistance members Recipients of the Resistance Medal {{Martinique-politician-stub