Jean-Baptiste de Gennes, comte d'Oyac | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Saint Christophe | |
| In office 1698–1702 | |
| Preceded by | Charles de Pechpeyrou-Comminges de Guitaut to 1690, then British rule |
| Succeeded by | British rule |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1656 Guérande, Loire-Atlantique, France |
| Died | 15 February 1705 Plymouth, England |
| Occupation | Naval officer |
Jean-Baptiste de Gennes, comte d'Oyac (c. 1656 – 15 February 1705) was a French naval officer who is known as an early French explorer of the Straits of Magellan. He was the last governor of the French colony of Saint-Christophe on the West Indian island now called Saint Kitts. After he surrendered the island to the English during the War of the Spanish Succession he was tried and found guilty of cowardice. He died before his appeal to this verdict could be heard. He was also an inventor, and among other devices invented a power loom driven by a mill wheel.