Hubert Lyautey

Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (November 17, 1854 - July 27, 1934) was a French general, the first Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925 and from 1921 on a Marshal of France.

Early life

Lyautey was born at Nancy (Lorraine).

He graduated from the French military academy of Saint-Cyr in 1873. He made his career by serving in the colonies and not in the more prestigious metropolitan France. The first years after graduating, Lyautey served as a cavalry officer in Algeria. He served from 1894 to 1897 in Indochina. He served from 1897 to 1902 under Joseph Galliéni, whom he had met in Indochina, in Madagascar. Lyautey reached general officer's rank in 1902 when he was made général de brigade.

Morocco

The murder of French citizens in Casablanca was used as a pretext for Lyautey to occupy Oujda in eastern Morocco at the Algerian border in 1907. Having been promoted to général de division, Lyautey was Military Governor of French Morocco from 4 August 1907 to 28 April, 1912. After the Convention of Fez established a French protectorate over Morocco, Lyautey served as Resident-General of French Morocco from April 28, 1912 to 25 August, 1925.

He is considered to have been an apt colonial administrator. During the First World War, he continued the occupation of the country, regardless of the fact that France needed most of her resources in the struggle against the Central Powers. In 1925, Lyautey lost military command of the French forces engaged against Abd-el-Krim to Pétain and resigned to return to France.

Miscellaneous

He was elected a member of the Académie française in 1912.
He was French Minister of War from December 12, 1916 to March 14, 1917.
He died in Thorey, was burried in Morocco but reintered in Les Invalides in 1961
The town of Kenitra was called "Port Lyautey" for a while, after him.

Quote

Lyautey has been suggested as the author of the famous quote about dialects stating that "a language is a dialect which owns an army, a navy and an air force" ("Une langue, c'est un dialecte qui possède une armée, une marine et une aviation."). A separate article discusses the origin of this aphorism in greater detail.

John F. Kennedy and Lloyd Bentsen were said to tell a story about him:

The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'

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Early life

Morocco

See also

Miscellaneous

Quote