Victor Hugues

Jean-Baptiste Victor Hugues was a French politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Guadeloupe from 1794 to 1798. He is best known for his actions during the French Revolutionary Wars, where Hugues played a major role in implementing the Law of 4 February 1794 which abolished slavery in French colonies. In 1799, Napoleon rose to power in France, and attempted to restore slavery in French colonies. Hugues, who had been personally opposed to abolition, oversaw in the restoration of slavery in Cayenne, where he purchased several slaves for himself. In 1809, Anglo-Portuguese forces captured Cayenne, with Hugues being disgraced upon his return to France. He returned to Cayenne and died there in 1826.