Delphino Moracchini
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Delphino Moracchini | |
|---|---|
| Acting governor of French Polynesia | |
| In office 1885–1886 | |
| Preceded by | Marie Nicolas François Auguste Morau |
| Succeeded by | Étienne Théodore Mondésir Lacascade |
| Governor of New Caledonia | |
| In office 30 July 1888 – 20 December 1888 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Hippolyte Marie Nouet |
| Succeeded by | Marie Jacques Noël Pardon |
| Governor of Martinique | |
| In office 4 February 1891 – June 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Germain Casse |
| Succeeded by | Noël Pardon |
| Governor of Guadeloupe | |
| In office June 1895 – 2 June 1900 | |
| Preceded by | Noël Pardon |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Pascal François (by acting)[1][2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1846 San-Lorenzo, Corsica, France |
| Died | 1903 (aged 56–57) |
| Occupation | Judge, colonial administrator |
Delphino Moracchini (1846–1903) was a French colonial administrator who served in French Guiana, French India, French Polynesia and New Caledonia. He was appointed assistant to the Governor of Martinique in 1890, where his prompt action in responding to a fire in Fort-de-France led to his being appointed governor the next year. He dealt efficiently with recovery from a major hurricane in 1891. In 1895, he was transferred to Guadeloupe, where he had to deal with an earthquake, fire and hurricane.
Delphino Moracchini was born in San-Lorenzo, Corsica, in 1846.[3] He obtained a degree in Law, attended the Colonial School and began a career in the colonial judiciary. In 1875, he was assigned to Cayenne, French Guiana, and from there went to French India. In 1882 he was briefly a tax collector in Vosges, then in 1885 he was Director of the Interior, second in command to the governor, in Tahiti and then in Nouméa.[4] On 1 December 1885, he became acting governor of French Polynesia in place of Marie Nicolas François Auguste Morau. He was replaced by Étienne Théodore Lacascade on 2 September, 1886.[5] From 30 July to 20 December 1888, he was Governor of New Caledonia.[6]
Martinique
In 1890, Moracchini was appointed Director of the Interior in Martinique, the second ranking official after the Governor, Germain Casse. On 22 June 1890, a fire broke out in Fort-de-France that destroyed a large part of the city and killed 14 people. Both the mayor and the governor were absent, so Moracchini took charge and directed the firefighters of Saint-Pierre and the army in saving as much as possible of the city. For his prompt action he was named governor in place of Casse.[4] He held office from 4 February 1891 until June 1895.[7]
On 18 August 1891, the island was hit by a hurricane, with 450 dead and over 2,000 injured.[4] Moracchini managed to secure credits from metropolitan France to rebuild infrastructure and restore the economy.[3] Some of the hurricane relief funding was diverted to reconstruction of buildings destroyed in the 1890 fire. The government refused to provide a requested million-franc loan or to suspend the island's debt, but did help organize donations to help the hurricane victims. More than 791,000 francs were provided by December 1891.[8]
In 1894, Moracchini received Béhanzin, the exiled king of Dahomey, with his large family. Local politicians accused him of starving the prisoner, but in fact he treated him with great humanity.[4] He lodged the king in Fort Tartanson at Fort de France, treating him with the respect due to his rank.[3]
