Adolphe Colrat (born 15 April 1955 in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) is a French senior

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

who served as the French

High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia The High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia () is the highest representative of the French Republic in the overseas country of French Polynesia. The rank is equivalent to the one of a prefect () and its powers are governed by Orga ...

from 2008 to 2011. He succeeded

Anne Boquet Anne Boquet (born 19 March 1952 in Bellac, France) is a retired French senior civil servant. She is the first and only woman to have been High Commissioner in French Polynesia to date. Boquet had previously served as Secretary-General in the Fre ...

in the post.

Early life

Colrat grew up in Lyon. He is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (rue d'Ulm), agrégé de lettres classiques, graduate of the Institut d'études politiques de Paris and of the National School of Public Administration (France) (ENA).

Career

Colrat held the post of

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

for the French

police commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

, a

French overseas department The overseas departments and regions of France (, ; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as "metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the same ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, from 1983 until 1985. He served as the prefecture secretary general in Réunion beginning in 1992. Colrat served as the head of

civil protection Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, ...

at the

Prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

of the French capital,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from April 2001 until February 2004. He served as the Prefect of the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

department from 2004 until 2006. Colrat later became temporary director of political, administrative and financial affairs at the French Ministry for Overseas Territories for two years from August 2006 until 2008.

High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia

Colrat was appointed High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia by the Sarkozy government in June 2008. His predecessor,

, departed French Polynesia on 29 June 2008, after serving three years as the first female High Commissioner. He arrived in French Polynesia with his wife on Saturday night of 5 July 2008 to assume his position as High Commissioner. Colrat was greeted at the Faa'a International Airport in

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 ...

by French Polynesian President

Gaston Tong Sang Gaston Tong Sang (born 7 August 1949 in Bora Bora) is a French Polynesian politician and is the former President of French Polynesia. He served terms as President of French Polynesia from November 2009 until April 2011, from April 2008 until Fe ...

, members of the

Assembly of French Polynesia The Assembly of French Polynesia (, ; Tahitian: ''Te apoʻoraʻa rahi o te fenua Māʻohi'') is the unicameral legislature of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the French Republic. It is located at Place Tarahoi in Papeete, Tahiti. It wa ...

and other local Tahitian-based politicians. He was sworn in as High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia on Monday 7 July 2008.

Honours and decorations

National honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colrat, Adolphe 1955 births Living people French Polynesian politicians High commissioners of the Republic in French Polynesia Civil servants from Lyon École Normale Supérieure alumni Sciences Po alumni École nationale d'administration alumni Prefects of Alpes-Maritimes Prefects of Manche Prefects of Meurthe-et-Moselle Prefects of Ardennes Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite