Albert Decrais (prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes)

Overview

Pierre Louis Albert Decrais (1838-1915), French lawyer, administrator and later diplomat and minister, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes (Nice) from 11 November 1874 to 21 March 1876, then prefect of the Gironde (English Wikipedia, «Albert Decrais»). He was minister of the Colonies 1899-1902 and senator 1903-1915, and married Marguerite Alice Dethomas. In the diary he is Nice's "nouveau préfet" of winter 1874-75, hence the head of local officialdom whose receptions and rebuffs matter to the Bashkirtseffs.

• 2 December 1874: the foreign colony, tired of the scandals of Marie's uncle Georges, is said to want to ask «le nouveau préfet, M. Decrais, de renvoyer M. Georges de Babanine du département des Alpes-Maritimes»; Marie's mother fears «une remontrance officielle» from the prefect (027/1874-12-02, 027.0121).
• 28 December 1874: «Il y a réception à la préfecture: M. et Mme Decrais» (028.0051).
• 12 June 1875: «le beau-fils de Decrais, préfet d'ici» among the bathers (034.0181).
• 10 January 1876: Marie recalls the looks of the ladies of Nice society, «les Bueno, d'Auzac, Decrais, Francia» (052.0032).
• The unnamed «préfet» and «préfète» of October 1875 (047.0157, 047.0160, 047.0222, 047.0290) are Decrais and his wife by date (he was in office until March 1876); these paragraphs are tagged NICE_PREFET, which should be merged into this entry.

References in Diary

027/1874-12-02 (027.0121); 028/1874-12-28 (028.0051); 034/1875-06-12 (034.0181); 052/1876-01-10 (052.0032); 047/1875-10-18 to 10-20 via NICE_PREFET.