René Petitbon
René Jean Albert Petitbon (18 August 1902 – 2 February 1965)[1] was a French colonial administrator who served as Governor of French Polynesia and French Somaliland in the 1950s.
René Petitbon | |
|---|---|
| Governor of French Somaliland | |
| In office 1954–1957 | |
| Preceded by | Georges-Pierre Rey |
| Succeeded by | André-Jean-Gaston Latrille |
| Governor of French Polynesia | |
| In office 1950–1954 | |
| Preceded by | Armand Anziani |
| Succeeded by | Jean-François Toby |
| Prefect of Constantine | |
| In office 1945–1949 | |
| Preceded by | André Lestrade-Carbonnel |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Papon |
| Prefect of Aube | |
| In office 1944–1945 | |
| Preceded by | Pierre Blanchet |
| Succeeded by | Pierre-Henry Rix |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 August 1902 Pau, France |
| Died | 1 February 1965 (aged 62) Paris, France |
Biography
Petitbon was born in Pau in 1902.[1] After earning a Bachelor of the Arts in 1923, he completed his military service between 1925 and 1926. He then taught in lycées in Saint-Étienne and Clermont-Ferrand until joining the Alsatian Bank Society in 1928.[2] He became deputy director for the Haut-Rhin region in 1935 and then served as director general of the Banques Populaire of the North Paris region from 1937 until 1944.[2]
A member of the resistance during the Nazi occupation, he was appointed prefect of Aube in 1944. The following year he relocated to Algeria to become prefect of Constantine, a role he held until 1949. He then became Inspector General of Administrative Affairs in French West Africa.[2] He was appointed Governor of French Polynesia in 1950, remaining in post until 1954 when he was appointed Governor of French Somaliland.[3] He served in French Somaliland until 1957, and later worked in Algeria again between 1961 and 1962.[2]
He died in Paris in 1965 at the age of 62.[3]
References
- René Petitbon (1902-1965) BNF
- PETITBON, René Jean Albert ... France Archives
- Mr. Rene Petitbon Pacific Islands Monthly, March 1965, p144