Marie-Jean-Lucien Lacaze (22 June 1860,

Pierrefonds, Oise Pierrefonds () is a commune in the Oise department in the Hauts-de-France region in Northern France, known for its Château de Pierrefonds. In 2019, it had a population of 1,833. See also * Château de Pierrefonds * Communes of the Oise depar ...

– 23 March 1955,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

) was a French admiral,

minister of Marine One of France's Secretaries of State under the Ancien Régime was entrusted with control of the French Navy ( Secretary of State of the Navy (France).) In 1791, this title was changed to Minister of the Navy. Before January 1893, this position als ...

préfet maritime A maritime prefect ( French: ''Préfet maritime'') is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in a particular region under French jurisdiction, known as a maritime arrondissement (''Arrondissement maritime''). His admini ...

and académicien.

Biography

Lacaze was born in

to a physician of Réunion, where he spent his youth. He studied in France with the Jesuits, and joined the

École Navale École 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 * École, Savoi ...

in 1879. Lacaze served as ''capitaine de vaisseau'' in Senegal, India and Viet-Nam. He was

naval attaché A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includ ...

in Rome and chief of staff to Admiral Germinet. He then took command of the '' Masséna'', before serving as chief of cabinet to minister of the Navy

Théophile Delcassé Théophile Delcassé (1 March 185222 February 1923) was a French politician who served as foreign minister from 1898 to 1905. He is best known for his hatred of Germany and efforts to secure alliances with Russia and Great Britain that became t ...

. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lacaze lead a division of the Mediterranean fleet, and organised part of the Dardanelles Campaign. Lacaze was made Minister of the Navy in October 1915, and he retained the office until 1917. He then went on to serve as préfet maritime of

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

. After retiring in 1922, Lacaze was elected to the Académie française on 12 November 1936, obtaining

Jules Cambon Jules-Martin Cambon (5 April 1845 – 19 September 1935) was a French diplomat and brother to Paul Cambon. As the ambassador to Germany (1907–1914) he worked hard to secure a friendly détente. He was frustrated by French leaders such as Raym ...

's seat (seat n°40).

References

Biography by the Académie française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacaze 1860 births 1955 deaths People from Oise French Navy admirals French people of World War I Ministers of Marine French people of Réunionnais descent French Ministers of War French naval attachés