Culture
Hubert Petit: the physician who was mayor of Saint-Martin from 1959 to 1977
A profile of Dr Fernand Hubert Petit (1926–2006), the physician who served as mayor of Saint-Martin for about 18 years, from 1959 to 1977.
By SXM Daily ·
Dr Hubert Petit was a physician who served as mayor of Saint-Martin for about 18 years, from 1959 to 1977. One of the longest-serving mayors in the history of the French side, he led the commune through a period of major change on the island.
Illustrative: Fort Louis, Marigot. Photo: P. Hughes / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A doctor in public life
His full name was Fernand Hubert Petit, as recorded by the Collectivité de Saint-Martin in its official history. He was born in 1926 and trained as a physician. France-Antilles referred to him as "docteur" when it reported his death, and his son, Dr Michel Petit, spoke about his father's time as mayor in an interview with Le 97150.
Mayor of Saint-Martin
According to the Collectivité's history page, Petit was elected mayor on 15 March 1959. He held the office until 1977. In the Le 97150 interview, his son described him as mayor "for 18 years, from 1959 to 1977", a span also given in the historical lists of the island's leaders compiled by worldstatesmen.org.
His years in office came before Saint-Martin became an Overseas Collectivity, when the French side was a commune attached to Guadeloupe and the mayor was its leading elected official.
The Conseil d'État upheld his removal as mayor on 22 March 1978.
Later years
Hubert Petit died in 2006. France-Antilles reported his death on 6 July 2006, describing him as the former mayor of Saint-Martin. His long tenure at the town hall makes him a central figure in the political history of the French side of the island.
Sources
- https://www.com-saint-martin.fr/thematiques/organisation-territoriale/votre-collectivite/histoire-de-la-collectivite
- https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Saint_Martin.html
- https://www.guadeloupe.franceantilles.fr/divers/hubert-petit-ancien-maire-de-saint-martin-est-decede-499189.php
- https://www.le97150.fr/politique/interview-du-4e-vp,-le-docteur-michel-petit
- https://www.lexbase.fr/jurisprudence/951265-ce-contentieux-22031978-n-5721
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marigot_-_St._Louis.jpg
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