Jean Samuel Guisan

Jean Samuel Guisan (29 March 1740 – 29 June 1801) was a Swiss engineer and civil servant known for his poldering work in the marshes near Kaw in French Guiana.[2]

Jean Samuel Guisan
Born29 March 1740[1]
Avenches, Switzerland
Died29 June 1801(1801-06-29) (aged 61)
Bern, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss
Occupationengineer, civil servant
Notable work
Kaw polders

Biography

Guisan was born in Avenches, Switzerland. In 1769, he moved to Suriname to work for Nicolaas Guisan,[3] his uncle, who owned the plantation La Liberté. During 1772 and 1773, sugar and coffee prices were very low, and business was bad. Guisan was put in charge of the plantation Accaribo, and managed to turn the plantation into a profitable business.[4]

In 1777, Guisan came to the attention of Pierre-Victor Malouet, who was on a mission by the French government to Suriname to discuss the 200 Maroons that had fled to French Guiana.[5]. Malouet persauded Guisan to improve and develop agriculture on the lowlands of French Guiana, and appointed him captain of the colonial troops.[6] Guisan started to work on the area around Kaw, began poldering the banks of the Approuague and Kaw River, and supervised the digging of the Roy and Torcy canals. His efforts transformed the area into a flourishing agricultural region.[2] Guisan also constructed the first sugar factory in the colony.[6]

His ambitious plans for the colony, and complaints about the unhealthy living conditions were not well received. Guisan's opposition to Governor Lescalier, lead to his dismissal, and he left French Guiana for Switzerland in July 1791.[6] Back in Avenches, he held some minor functions in the local government, started to write his autobiography, and a book about poldering marshes. In 27 October 1798, Guisan was appointed Inspector General of Roads and Bridges of the Swiss Republic.[6] He started to build bridges in Olten, the road from Zürich to Bremgarten, and Wettingen to Baden.[1] On 29 July 1801, Guisan died in Bern.[1] In April 1834, the town of Guisanbourg was named after Guisan.[7]

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References
  1. "Jean Samuel Guisan". Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. "Marais de Kaw – Réserve Naturelle en Guyane". marais-kaw (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. "Plantage Accaribo". Suriname Plantages (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. "Geschiedenis der cacaocultuur in Suriname" (PDF). University of Florida (in Dutch). 1925. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. "1789-1815 Malouet". 1789-1815.com (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  6. "Jean Samuel Guisan (1740–1801)". Helvetische Strassen-enquête (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  7. "Guizanbourg: Un village au confluent des temps". Une Saison en Guyane (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2020.
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