Joseph Gallieni

Joseph Gallieni
Gallieni in 1910
112th Minister of War
In office
29 October 1915 – 16 March 1916
PresidentRaymond Poincaré
Prime MinisterAristide Briand
Preceded byAlexandre Millerand
Succeeded byPierre Roques
Personal details
Born(1849-04-24)24 April 1849
Saint-Béat, French Republic
Died27 May 1916(1916-05-27) (aged 67)
Versailles, French Republic
NationalityFrench
SpouseMarthe Savelli
ChildrenThéodore François Gaëtan Gallieni
Alma mater
Military service
AllegianceFrench Third Republic Second Empire
French Third Republic Third Republic
Branch/serviceFrench Army
Years of service1868 – 1916
RankDivision general[a]
Commands
Battles/warsFranco-Prussian War
World War I

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.[1]

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.


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  1. ^ "Gallieni, Joseph Simon | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 18 July 2023.