Person

William Merlaud-Ponty

1866–1915 · 19th century · Also known as William Ponty

William Merlaud-Ponty was a French colonial administrator who served as governor-general of French West Africa from 1908 until his death in 1915. He completed the conquest of the interior, abolished some forms of domestic slavery, and pursued a policy that favoured local chiefs and limited the authority of large chiefdoms. The École normale at Gorée that trained African teachers was named after him.

William Merlaud-Ponty
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). William Merlaud-Ponty. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-merlaud-ponty
MLA
“William Merlaud-Ponty.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-merlaud-ponty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “William Merlaud-Ponty.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-merlaud-ponty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘William Merlaud-Ponty’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-merlaud-ponty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻