Léonce Lagarde was the first French administrator of Obock, occupying the post from 1884 to 1899.

At one time an ambassador to Abyssinian emperor Menelik II, Lagarde built up a French presence in the area to protect the colony from Egypt, which was slowly expanding south. He expanded the Obock colony outwards, in doing so, creating French Somaliland, which is today Djibouti.

The port city of Djibouti was founded in 1888, and Lagarde moved his administration from Obock to the new city.