Faidherbe, Louis (-Léon-César)

(born June 3, 1818, Lille, Fr.—died Sept. 29, 1889, Paris) Governor of French Senegal (1854–61, 1863–65) and a founder of France's colonial empire in Africa. Faidherbe was trained as a military engineer and served in Algeria and Senegal before becoming the colonial governor of Senegal. Alarmed by the growing power of the Islamic leader 'Umar Tal, he took the offensive, driving off 'Umar Tal, subjugating the Moorish tribes in the north, and transforming his colony into the region's dominant power. In 1857 he founded the capital city of Dakar.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica