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Benoît Chassériau (also known as Benito Chassériau or Chasserieux) (19 August 1780 - 27 September 1844) was a French diplomat, French spy and Minister of the Interior of Simón Bolívar in Cartagena, Colombia
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Biography
Benoît Chassériau came very early in the administration and made the memorable Egypt campaign. Although very young, he administered as Financial Controller, two important provinces of Upper Egypt from 1798 to 1801 under the command of general François-Étienne Damas and then under general Augustin-Daniel Belliard.
Appointed Treasurer-General, during the expedition to Santo Domingo in 1802, Benoît Chassériau held the position of Secretary General in the government of general Jean-Louis Ferrand in the eastern part of Santo Domingo, ceded to France by the Treaty of Basel. During the invasion of the peninsula by the imperial armies, this part of the territory of Santo Domingo, remained more Spanish than French rose. Taken prisoner, Benoît Chassériau has managed to escape but maritime war prevented him from returning to France. He visited the West Indies and the mainland of Spanish America. Benoit Chassériau was one of the French exiles at the origin of the city of Aigleville and the Vine and Olive Colony.
* 1813 - Appointed by Simón Bolívar Ministry of the Interior (Colombia) and the Police in Cartagena, Colombia
Chassériau was appointed in 1813, Minister of Interior and Police of the government of Cartagena with his friend Antoine Leleux, who had the portfolio of War.
* January 1814 – Commander of the secret expedition against Portobelo (Panama) - the first expedition for the liberation of Panama
Benoît Chassériau as commander took a very active part in the first expedition led by independent against Portobelo (Panama) and Santa Marta. He left Cartagena with 460 men on board 8 schooners and attacked Portobelo (Panama) on January 16, 1814. This expedition was a failure and was rejected by the Spanish royalists controlled by governor Joaquín Rodríguez Valcárcel. The second expedition conducted in 1819 by Scottish general Gregor MacGregor was a success.
At that time, Benoît Chassériau belonged to the Masonic Lodge of Cartagena “Las Tres Virtudes Teologales” which belonged to many revolutionaries including the clergyman Juan Fernandez de Sotomayor, the future bishop of Cartagena. Benoît Chassériau was the representative of the lodge to the Grand Orient of France. Belong to a lodge was more a sign of adherence to philosophical or religious principles in a revolutionary goal for freedom and against Spain.
Returned to France in 1822, François-René de Chateaubriand then Minister of Foreign Affairs sent him on a foreign posting from 1823 to 1824. Chateaubriand gave two informal postings to Benoît Chassériau: the first mission was to ensure the mediation of France between Spain and the new State and the second mission to facilitate trade relations between Colombia and the French Caribbean colonies mainly Martinique.
Chassériau was accredited in 1835 as Consul of France in Puerto Rico where there was a population of 450,000 souls - of which 12,000 French.
Benoît Chassériau died in Puerto Rico on September 27, 1844.
The French friend of Simón Bolívar
Benoît Chassériau maintained for many years a friendly relationship with Simón Bolívar who in his correspondence called him “my French friend”.
The December 10, 1815 a few hours before the assassination attempt, Chassériau visits Bolivar and gives him money to seek alternative accommodation. Thus, the Liberator left the room where José Antonio Páez had slept for several nights and depended on the guesthouse Rafael Pisce at the corner of Prince and White streets. The same night, Pio the servant of Bolivar and Paez plunged his murderous knife into the neck of Captain Felix Amestoy, thinking it was the Liberator.
In order to collect 3,000 pesos, Benoît Chassériau formed a consortium with Jean Pavageau, Michael Scott, George Robertson, S. Campbell and Maxwell Hyslop. On his part, Benoît Chassériau lent the sum of 404 pesos to Simón Bolívar. To express his gratitude, Bolivar asked in 1827 the repayment of the loan by increasing interest at 6% per annum from 1 January 1816.
Family
Benoît Chassériau was the last of 18 children of Jean Chassériau, merchant, ship owner, advisor to the City of La Rochelle. He married in 1806, Marie Madeleine Couret de la Blaquière, daughter of a wealthy French owner in Santo Domingo. He was the father of five children: