Armand Joseph Bruat (May 26, 1796 in Colmar - November 19, 1855 at sea) was a French admiral.
Bruat entered the French Navy in 1811, at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. His early career included far-ranging sea duty: in 1815, he served in Brazil and the West Indies. From 1817 to 1820 he was with French forces in the Levant. Then, until 1824, he was stationed first in Senegal and then in the Pacific.
As a Lieutenant, Bruat took part in the 1827 Battle of Navarino. In 1830, he received command of a brig. He suffered a shipwreck, however, and became a prisoner in Algeria. After he was exchanged in 1831, he was promoted to Captain and was made in 1843 the Governor of the Marquesas Islands. During this time, he was also France's agent at the court of Queen Pomare of Tahiti, and was able to convince her to acknowledge a French protectorate over her realm.
In 1849, Bruat became Governor-General of the Antilles, and in 1852 was promoted to Vice Admiral. In 1854, during the Crimean War, he was named Commander of the French fleet in the Black Sea. He died at sea while returning to France, on November 19, 1855.
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Last updated: 10-23-2005 20:56:18
