Marie François Joseph Clozel (29 March 1860 – 10 May 1918) was a French colonial administrator who became Governor General of French West Africa. Interested in understanding the region, he took an active part in developing French scientific research in West Africa in collaboration with the anthropologist

Maurice Delafosse Maurice Delafosse (20 December 1870 – 13 November 1926) was a French ethnographer and colonial official who also worked in the field of the languages of Africa. In a review of his daughter's biography of him he was described as "one of the most o ...

Biography

François Clozel was born on 29 March 1860 in Annonay, in the Ardèche department. He graduated with a diploma in Arabic from the School of Oriental Languages. He completed his military service in a regiment of

Zouaves The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

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. He participated in the mission of Casimir Maistre to the French Congo in 1892. He led an expedition in 1894-95 in the north of this country. In 1896 he was sent to the Ivory Coast. From 25 November 1902 to 4 May 1903 he was acting governor, before being appointed governor on 19 November 1905. After a short interlude when Albert Anatole Nebout held office, he resumed his place as governor from 27 October 1906 to 25 April 1908. His name is associated with the construction of the railway in Côte d'Ivoire. On 18 February 1908, when

William Merlaud-Ponty Amédée William Merlaud-Ponty (4 February 1866 – 13 June 1915) was a French colonial administrator. He was a Governor General of French West Africa (1908–1915) who particularly interested himself in the economic development and education o ...

became Governor General of French West Africa, François Clozel replaced him as governor of the French Sudan. He was Acting Governor General of French West Africa from January to August 1912 under Ponty. On the death of the latter, he fully succeeded him, holding office from 14 June 1915 to 3 June 1917. Clozel was interested in the indigenous peoples, and encouraged his subordinates to study local customs. With a very different attitude from Ponty, he tried to establish cooperative relations with the African leaders. He was the author of several ethnographic studies, and in 1912 he directed the publication of a series of works by Maurice Delafosse entitled ''Haut Sénégal-Niger'', for which he wrote the preface. On 11 December 1915, he founded the Committee of Historical and Scientific Studies of French West Africa, of which Delafosse was a member. Clozel was the first governor to take into account ethnological research in his directives. Both in tone and in content, his circulars differ from the usual line of colonial administration. Captain Joost van Vollenhoven succeeded Clozel at the head of French West Africa on 3 June 1917. François Clozel died suddenly in Rabat on 10 May 1918.

Legacy

An avenue in Cotonou, Benin, and a boulevard in the Plateau of

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, making it the sixth most populous city p ...

, Ivory Coast, now bear his name. On the square of the Dakar railway station is a monument dedicated in 1923 "to the creators of French West Africa and the glory of the black army". It has - in addition to statues of Demba and Dupont, and of Senegalese troops, medallions of Louis Faidherbe and four prestigious Governors:

, Joost van Vollenhoven, François Joseph Clozel and

Noël Ballay Dr. Noël Eugène Ballay (14 July 1847 – 26 January 1902) was a French auxiliary doctor of the French navy, and a poet. He was an explorer and colonial administrator, the second Governor-General of French West Africa. Early years Noël Ballay ...

Bibliography

* ''Bibliographie des ouvrages relatifs à la Sénégambie et au Soudan occidental'', C. Delagrave, 1891 * ''Les Bayas : notes ethnographiques & linguistiques : Haute-Sangha, bassin du Tchad'', J. André & Cie, 1896 * ''Les coutumes indigènes de la Côte d'Ivoire : Documents publiés avec une introduction et des notes. Carte ethnographique de la Côte d'Ivoire'', A. Challamel, Paris, 1902 * ''Dix ans à la Côte d'Ivoire'', A. Challamel, Paris, 1906, 350 p. * « Lettres de Korbous », ''Bulletin du Comité de l'Afrique française'', XXIII, 1923, 2, pp. 60–61, 3, pp. 106–108, 4, pp. 149–152, 5, pp. 182–186

References

Sources

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External links

Liste des gouverneurs généraux de l'AOF
(d'après World Statesmen)
Liste des gouverneurs généraux de l'Afrique occidentale française de 1895 à 1920
(d'après les ''Sources de l'histoire de l'Afrique au sud du Sahara dans les archives et les bibliothèques françaises'')
« Le gouverneur F.-J. Clozel »
(nécrologie de J. Goulven dans ''

Annales de Géographie The ''Annales de Géographie'' is a French journal devoted to geography, first published in 1891. From the start the journal was an influential and respected academic journal. History The ''Annales de Géographie'' was founded in 1891 by Paul Vi ...