Ramón Arnaud

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Ramón Arnaud
Arnaud in 1908
Governor of Clipperton Island
In office 1906–1915
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	Ramón Nonato Arnaud Vignon 1879 Orizaba, Mexico
Died	29 May 1915(1915-05-29) (aged 35–36) Off Clipperton Island
Cause of death	Drowning
Spouse	Alicia Rovira
Occupation	Military officer
Military service
Allegiance	Mexico
Branch/service	Mexican Army
Years of service	?–1915
Rank	Captain
Battles/wars	Caste War of Yucatán

Ramón Nonato Arnaud Vignon (1879 – 29 May 1915) was an officer in the Mexican Army and the only Mexican governor of Clipperton Island.

Early life

Ramón Arnaud was born in

.

Governor of Clipperton

Upon his return from East Asia, the government of President Porfirio Díaz placed him in charge of the military garrison on Clipperton Island, an atoll in the Pacific subject to a sovereignty dispute between Mexico and France. At first he was reluctant, believing that this amounted to an exile from Mexico, but Ávalos convinced him by telling him that Díaz had personally chosen him to protect Mexico's interests in the international conflict with France, and that the fact that he spoke English, French, and Spanish would assist him in protecting Mexico's sovereignty over the territory. He consequently accepted and arrived on Clipperton as governor in 1906.

By 1914, the situation on the island had turned difficult. With the outbreak of the

, advising him to abandon the island. Nevertheless, the captain and the rest of the soldiers decided to remain, staying faithful to their duty even though their homeland had forgotten them.

Death

In 1915, an outbreak of scurvy claimed many of the colonists' lives and in 1915, by now desperate and at the head of a colony that had no food, Arnaud set sail with three soldiers in a canoe in pursuit of a passing ship they had spied. They were unable to reach the ship, however, and the canoe sank while returning, drowning all four of its occupants.

References

• Arnaud, Gabriela. CLIPPERTON Una Historia de Honor y Gloria. México, Bubook, 2015
• "Cronología Historica de "La Isla de la Pasión"" [Historical Chronology of "The Island of the Passion"] (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 February 2024.
• Restrepo, Laura. La Isla de la Pasión. México, Alfaguara, 2005
• Sangri Namur, Enrique. Isla Clarión: Territorio desconocido. 2005