Andréa de Balmann (24 April 1913 – 2007) was the first

French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...

n woman to qualify as a doctor. She was the mother of doctor Mareva Tourneux. De Balmann was born on

Makatea Makatea, or Mangaia-te-vai-tamae, is a raised coral atoll in the northwestern part of the Tuamotus, which is a part of the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia. It is located southwest from Rangiroa to the west of the Palliser Islan ...

in the

Tuamotus The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to ...

. Her father was the director of the French Phosphate Company there. Her mother died in the

1918 influenza pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

when she was four years old, and at the age of 11 she was sent to France for her education. When the uncle she was staying with died, she was left alone in France. In 1936, she graduated as a dental surgeon, and in 1939, as a medical doctor - the first Polynesian woman to do so. After graduating, she returned to Tahiti, where she became involved in the conspiracy of the Mamao group to rally French Polynesia to the cause of

Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

. She was director of the maternity ward at Vaiame hospital, and later director of the

Malardé Institute The Institut Louis-Malardé (ILM) is a medical research institution in Papeete, Tahiti, focused on public health research and epidemiological monitoring in French Polynesia. It was part of the international network of Pasteur Institutes. History Th ...

. In 1972 she was made a knight of the

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

. She was promoted to officer in 1981, and commander in 1990. In 1977 she was made a knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. She was promoted to officer in 1997. In January 1997 she was made a Commander of the

Order of Tahiti Nui The Order of Tahiti Nui was established on 5 June 1996 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to reward distinguished merit and achievements in the service to French Polynesia. History The Order of Tahiti Nui was established June 5, 1996 by resolut ...

References

1913 births 2007 deaths People from the Tuamotus French Polynesian women French Polynesian medical doctors Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Officers of the Legion of Honour Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of French Polynesia {{FrenchPolynesia-bio-stub