List of governors-general of French Indochina

European (as well as Japanese and Chinese) colonial administrators (French: Gouverneurs généraux de l'Indochine française) had historically been responsible for the territory of French Indochina, an area equivalent to modern-day Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Chinese city of Zhanjiang.

Governor-General of French Indochina
Gouverneur de l'Indochine Française (French)
Đông Dương tổng thống toàn quyền đại thần (Vietnamese)
東洋總統全權大臣 (chữ Hán)
法屬印度支那總督 (Traditional Chinese)
Emblem of the government-general of French Indochina
Vietnamese-style great seal and kiềm ấn of the governor-general of French Indochina[a]
Longest serving
Pierre Pasquier

26 December 1928 – 15 January 1934
Reports toMinistry of the Colonies
ResidenceNorodom Palace (1887–1902),
Residence of the governor-general of French Indochina in Hanoi, Tonkin (1902–1945)
SeatSaigon, French Cochinchina (1887–1902)
Hanoi, Tonkin (1902–1945)
Formation16 November 1887
First holderJean Antoine Ernest Constans
Final holderHenri Hoppenot
Abolished21 July 1956
French Indochina (including Guangzhouwan), 1930.
Residence of the governor-general in Hanoi, Tonkin

List of governors-general

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The following have held the position of governor-general of French Indochina.[1][2]

Pre–1945

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Tenure start Tenure end Incumbent Notes
French Indochina formed (Cambodia, Annam, Tonkin, and Cochinchina, and from 19 April 1899, Laos)
Governors-general
16 November 1887 22 April 1888 Jean Antoine Ernest Constans Provisional
22 April 1888 30 May 1889 Étienne Antoine Guillaume Richaud Acting until 8 September 1888
31 May 1889 18 April 1891 Jean-Luc de Saint Peauxpas
18 April 1891 26 June 1891 François Marie Leon Bideau Acting
26 June 1891 29 December 1894 Jean Marie Antoine de Lanessan
10 March 1894 26 October 1894 Léon Jean Laurent Chavassieux Acting for Lanessan
29 December 1894 16 March 1895 François Pierre Rodier Acting
16 March 1895 10 December 1896 Paul Armand Rosseau
21 October 1895 14 March 1896 Paul Julien Auguste Fourès Acting for Rosseau. 1st time
10 December 1896 13 February 1897 Paul Julien Auguste Fourès Acting. 2nd time
13 February 1897 14 March 1902 Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer Future president of France.
29 September 1898 24 January 1899 Paul Julien Auguste Fourès Acting for Doumer. 3rd time
16 February 1901 20 August 1901 Édouard Alfred Marie Broni Acting for Doumer. 1st time
14 March 1902 14 October 1902 Édouard Alfred Marie Broni Acting. 2nd time
15 October 1902 28 February 1908 Jean Baptiste Paul Beau
28 February 1908 23 September 1908 Louis Alphonse Bonhoure Acting
24 September 1908 17 February 1911 Antony Wladislas Klobukowski
13 January 1910 10 June 1910 Albert Jean George Marie Louis Picquié Acting for Klobukowski
17 February 1911 14 November 1911 Paul Louis Luce Acting
15 November 1911 22 November 1913 Albert-Pierre Sarraut 1st time
22 November 1913 3 March 1915 Joost van Vollenhoven Acting
3 March 1915 22 May 1916 Ernest Nestor Roume
23 May 1916 21 January 1917 Jean-François dit Eugène Charles Acting
22 January 1917 9 December 1919 Albert-Pierre Sarraut 2nd time
22 May 1919 19 February 1920 Maurice Antoine François Monguillot Acting. 1st time
20 February 1920 15 April 1922 Maurice Long
18 November 1920 31 March 1921 Joseph Maurice Le Gallen Acting for Long
15 April 1922 9 August 1923 François Marius Baudouin Acting
9 August 1923 23 April 1925 Martial Henri Merlin
23 April 1925 18 November 1925 Maurice Antoine François Monguillot 2nd time
18 November 1925 22 August 1928 Alexandre Varenne
4 October 1926 16 May 1927 Pierre Marie Antoine Pasquier Acting for Varenne. 1st time
1 November 1927 7 August 1928 Maurice Antoine François Monguillot Acting for Varenne. 3rd time
7 August 1928 26 December 1928 Eugène Jean Louis René Robin Acting. 1st time
26 December 1928 15 January 1934 Pierre Marie Antoine Pasquier 2nd time
1 December 1930 30 June 1931 Eugène Jean Louis René Robin Acting for Pasquier. 2nd time
15 January 1934 23 July 1934 Maurice Fernand Graffeuil Acting
23 July 1934 9 September 1936 Eugène Jean Louis René Robin Acting for Pasquier. 3rd time
9 September 1936 14 January 1937 Achille Louis Auguste Silvestre Acting
14 January 1937 20 August 1939 Joseph-Jules Brévié
20 August 1939 25 June 1940 Georges Catroux Acting
25 June 1940 9 March 1945 Jean Decoux Interim until 29 August 1940. Continued serving after the Japanese invasion; deposed in the Japanese coup d'état
Japanese military occupation
9 March 1945 28 August 1945 Yuitsu Tsuchihashi Japanese military commander in Indochina and provisional governor-general
9 March 1945 15 August 1945 Takeshi Tsukamoto Acting for Tsuchihashi
10 April 1945 September 1945 Gabriel Sabattier PGFR delegate-general; in opposition to Japanese occupation after the coup. Retreated with remaining troops to China in May
Allied military administration
14 September 1945 14 May 1946 Lu Han Military governor (Republic of China), above 16th parallel
13 September 1945 28 March 1946 Douglas Gracey Military governor (United Kingdom), below 16th parallel

Post–1945

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No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office
Took office Left office Time in office
High commissioner
(Hauts-commissaires de France en Indochine)
Jean Cédile [fr]
(1908–1984)
Acting
23 September 19455 October 194512 days
Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
(1908–1984)
Acting
5 October 194531 October 194526 days
1Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu
(1889–1964)
Appointed as the High Commissioner 17 August 1945,
but did not enter his position until 2 November.
2 November 194527 March 19471 year, 145 days
2Émile Bollaert
(1890–1978)
27 March 194720 October 19481 year, 207 days
3Léon Pignon
(1908–1976)
20 October 194813 December 19502 years, 54 days
4Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
(1889–1952)
13 December 195011 January 1952 †1 year, 29 days
5Raoul Salan
(1899–1984)
11 January 195218 April 195298 days
6Jean Letourneau
(1907–1986)
18 April 195227 April 19531 year, 9 days
Commissioners-general
(Commissaires généraux en Indochine)
1Jean Letourneau
(1907–1986)
27 April 195323 July 195387 days
2Maurice Dejean [fr]
(1899–1982)
Served at the time of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
23 July 19534 June 1954316 days
3Paul Ély
(1897–1975)
4 June 1954April 19559 months
4Henri Hoppenot
(1891–1977)
April 195521 July 19561 year, 3 months

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Used on Classical Chinese language documents. The inscription of the great seal reads Đại Pháp Quốc Khâm mệnh Tổng thống Đông Dương Toàn quyền đại thần quan nho (大法國欽命總統東洋全權大臣關伩)) and the inscription of the kiềm ấn reads Toàn quyền đại thần (全權大臣, "governor-general") written in seal script.

References

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  1. ^ Commission française du Guide des Sources de l'Histoire des Nations (1981). Sources de l'histoire de l'Asie et de l'Océanie dans les archives et bibliothèques françaises. Part 1: Archives (in French). München: K. G. Saur. ISBN 3-598-21472-3.
  2. ^ Cahoon, Ben (n.d.). "French Union of Indo-China". WorldStatesmen.org. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
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