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Delphino Moracchini (1846–1903) was a French colonial administrator who served in
French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
,
French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...
,
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 ...
and
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
. He was appointed assistant to the Governor of
Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...
in 1890, where his prompt action in responding to a fire in
Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...
led to his being appointed governor the next year. He dealt efficiently with recovery from a major hurricane in 1891. In 1895, he was transferred to
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, where he had to deal with an earthquake, fire and hurricane.


Early years

Delphino Moracchini was born in
San-Lorenzo San-Lorenzo is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Corse department The following is a list of the 236 Communes of France, communes of the Haute-Corse ...
, Corsica, in 1846. He obtained a degree in Law, attended the Colonial School and began a career in the colonial judiciary. In 1875, he was assigned to
Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...
, French Guiana, and from there went to
French India French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...
. In 1882 he was briefly a tax collector in
Vosges The Vosges ( , ; ; Franconian and ) is a range of medium mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and ...
, then in 1885 he was Director of the Interior, second in command to the governor, in
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
and then in
Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...
. On 1 December 1885, he became acting governor of French Polynesia in place of Marie Nicolas François Auguste Morau. He was replaced by Étienne Théodore Lacascade on 2 September, 1886. From 30 July to 20 December 1888, he was Governor of
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
.


Martinique

In 1890, Moracchini was appointed Director of the Interior in Martinique, the second ranking official after the Governor, Germain Casse. On 22 June 1890, a fire broke out in
Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...
that destroyed a large part of the city and killed 14 people. Both the mayor and the governor were absent, so Moracchini took charge and directed the firefighters of Saint-Pierre and the army in saving as much as possible of the city. For his prompt action he was named governor in place of Casse. He held office from 4 February 1891 until June 1895. On 18 August 1891, the island was hit by a hurricane, with 450 dead and over 2,000 injured. Moracchini managed to secure credits from metropolitan France to rebuild infrastructure and restore the economy. Some of the hurricane relief funding was diverted to reconstruction of buildings destroyed in the 1890 fire. The government refused to provide a requested million-franc loan or to suspend the island's debt, but did help organize donations to help the hurricane victims. More than 791,000 francs were provided by December 1891. In 1894, Moracchini received
Béhanzin Gbehanzin also known as Béhanzin ( – 10 December 1906) is considered the eleventh (if Adandozan is not counted) King of Dahomey, modern-day Republic of Benin. Upon taking the throne, he changed his name from Kondo. Following his father ...
, the exiled king of
Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African List of kingdoms in Africa throughout history, kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in ...
, with his large family. Local politicians accused him of starving the prisoner, but in fact he treated him with great humanity. He lodged the king in Fort Tartanson at Fort de France, treating him with the respect due to his rank.


Guadeloupe

In June 1895, Moracchini was transferred to become Governor of
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
. He exchanged places with Noël Pardon, who became governor of Martinique. On 23 April 1897, an earthquake destroyed part of
Pointe-à-Pitre Pointe-à-Pitre (; , , or simply , ) is the second most populous commune of Guadeloupe (after Les Abymes). Guadeloupe is an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a ''Subprefectu ...
. That year his decision on the exchange rate made him deeply unpopular with some of the factory owners. In 1898 there were stormy legislative elections, with
Gaston Gerville-Réache Gaston Gerville-Réache (born 23 August 1854 in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; died 30 May 1908 in Mareil-en-France, France) was a politician from Guadeloupe who served in the French National Assembly The National Assembly (, ) is the lower ...
and Hégésippe Légitimus elected. Moracchini had to deal with a fire in Pointe-à-Pitre in June 1898 and a hurricane on 7 August 1899. In 1899, the factory and plantation owners accused the Socialists, led by Légitimus, of setting fires throughout the island, while the socialists placed the blame on the reactionary whites. The white owners were in contact with the American consul, waiting for a chance to ask the United States to intervene. The American fleet was cruising in the vicinity. Moracchini steered a middle road, refusing to take actions that would make him the "dupe or accomplice of the reactionaries", and restored calm, although he made himself unpopular with both sides. He left office on 2 June 1900. He was promoted to Governor 1st Class in 1900, and automatically retired in 1901.


References


Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moracchini, Delphino 1846 births 1903 deaths Governors of French Polynesia Governors of New Caledonia French governors of Martinique French colonial governors of Guadeloupe