Joseph Gallieni
Joseph Simon Gallieni (24 April 1849 – 27 May 1916) was a French military officer, active for most of his career as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies where he wrote several books on colonial affairs.
Marshal Joseph Gallieni | |
|---|---|
Gallieni in 1910 | |
| 112th Minister of War | |
| In office 29 October 1915 – 16 March 1916 | |
| President | Raymond Poincaré |
| Prime Minister | Aristide Briand |
| Preceded by | Alexandre Millerand |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Roques |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 April 1849 Saint-Béat, French Republic |
| Died | 27 May 1916 (aged 67) Versailles, French Republic |
| Nationality | French |
| Spouse | Marthe Savelli |
| Children | Théodore François Gaëtan Gallieni |
| Alma mater |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Second Empire Third Republic |
| Branch/service | French Army
|
| Years of service | 1868 – 1916 |
| Rank | Division general |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars | Franco-Prussian War World War I |
He was recalled from retirement at the beginning of the First World War. As Military Governor of Paris he played an important role in the First Battle of the Marne, when Maunoury's Sixth Army, which was under his command, attacked the German west flank. A small portion of its strength was rushed to the front in commandeered Paris taxicabs.
From October 1915 he served as Minister of War, resigning from that post in March 1916 after criticizing the performance of the French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre (formerly his subordinate, earlier in their careers), during the German attack on Verdun. He died later that year and was made Marshal of France posthumously in 1921.