Salomon von Rajalin

Who is Salomon von Rajalin?

Salomon Mauritz von Rajalin was a Swedish military officer and colonial administrator who became the first Swedish governor of Saint Barthélemy. Holding the rank of major and the title of baron, he led the Swedish party that formally took possession of the island on 7 March 1785, roughly a year after France ceded the territory to Sweden in exchange for trading privileges in the port of Gothenburg. As governor, Rajalin renamed the former French port of Le Carénage as Gustavia in honor of King Gustav III, and on 7 September 1785 he declared it a free port, exempting visiting ships from customs duties. The policy transformed the small, resource-poor island into a bustling entrepot; by the end of the eighteenth century more than a thousand ships called at Gustavia harbor annually, and the population swelled with merchants, sailors, and traders of many nationalities. Rajalin's governorship, from 1785 to 1787, laid the commercial foundation for nearly a century of Swedish rule that lasted until the island reverted to France in 1878. He died in 1825.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy" · H. Hogman, "Former Swedish Colonies – Saint Barthélemy" · Saint-Barth Tourisme, "House of Gustavia's Governors"