Pierre Benoît Dumas (1668–1745) was the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

for Pondichéry and

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island o ...

. Predecessor of La Bourdonnais on the Isles and Dupleix in the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

, Dumas hailed from Southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There is still a street in

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

named after him. The City of

was established by him in 1730. It is he who launched the colonization of Réunion island decided by Desforges Boucher. 244 concessions were allotted during his 8 years of administration, between the Gully of Gol and the Gully of the Ramparts. Like Régnault, he wished to create a city around the immense concession (more than 10 km²) which extended ''

du battant des lames au sommet des montagnes ''Du battant des lames au sommet des montagnes'' (French for "From the beating of the waves to the summit of the mountains" (lit.) or "From the seashore to the mountaintops" (fig.)) is a French expression that formerly served to define the geograph ...

'' on the future location Saint-Pierre. He even made Antoine of Bavaria draw a project of urban plan in a checkerboard and to this, he conceded 48 sites with the river initially on 26 August 1733. He is also the man of the opening-up. He made Pierre Boisson and Abraham Muron to undertake the construction of a way connecting Saint-Denis to the commune of

La Possession La Possession () is a commune in the French overseas department of Réunion. It is located on the northwest side of the island of Réunion, between the capital of Saint-Denis and the commune of Le Port. To the territory of this commune belong ...

. This sinuous layout of 30 kilometers decided on 16 June 1730 was going to become the mountain road. On 3 August 1733 he charged Delisle and River to open the section Sainte-Marie - Saint-Benoît, and the road connecting Saint-Paul initially had the new concession of the River. Some time later, he became Governor General for the French Establishments in India.

Titles

Governors of French India Governors of Réunion Governors of Isle de France (Mauritius) 1668 births 1745 deaths {{Réunion-bio-stub