Joseph Cachin, son of Pierre Cachin, was a butler at the episcopal palace of Chastres. Under the protection of the
Bishop of Castres,
Jean-Sébastien de Barral, he went to school at
les frères de Chastres and later at
le collège de Sorèze. He went on to study architecture at
l’école des beaux-arts de Toulouse and, in 1776, joined
l’école des ponts et chaussées in Paris, under the supervision of
Jean-Rodolphe Perronet. Upon graduation, he spent some time travelling in England and the United States. Shortly afterwards, Joseph Cachin became an engineer for the maritime works in the
généralité of Rouen, where he was put in charge of improving the
Port of Honfleur. In this position, he proposed the construction of a canal that would run parallel to the Seine River, between Quillebeuf and the sea, to protect incoming merchant ships. From 1790 to 1792, he was elected to the head of the municipality by the French Revolution, but further planning of his canal project was halted, due to lack of funds. Here, he married the wealthy Judith de la Rivière, the third widow of the Prince of Montbéliard; however, their marriage was short-lived and they separated shortly afterwards, by mutual agreement. In 1792, he was appointed chief engineer of
Calvados, where he worked on the
Caen Canal and the establishment of the navy between
Colleville and the mouth of the Orne River. Later that year, he took part in the committee that was in charge of planning
Cherbourg Harbour; however, the project was soon suspended after the fall of the monarchy. Joseph Cachin left Calvados after the
18 Brumaire coup d’état and entered the marine services, as head of maritime works. In July 1802, after becoming Inspector General of roads and bridges, he renewed his interest in Cherbourg Harbour and published a rapport in
le Moniteur: recommending the construction of a port (at
pointe du Hommet) and a central defense battery to increase the protection of the harbour (until then provided by the forts at Querqueville and Pelée island). As a result of this publication, in 1804,
Napoleon appointed him as director general of maritime works of Cherbourg. In the same year, he joined the
conseil général de la Manche, which he would later chair. Over the span of 20 years, he completed many works at Cherbourg: including fortifications of the harbour wall; improvements to the commercial port; construction of the defense battery; and digging of the
naval base, which would make up the new armoury. On September 16, 1808, Joseph Cachin received the title
Knight of the Empire by
letters patent. He became baron on August 27, 1816 and was awarded
Officer of the Legion of Honour by
Empress Marie-Louis at the inauguration of the new military harbour in Cherbourg. In 1816, after the completion of the Port of Cherbourg, he became a candidate for the chamber of deputies, but was not elected. He published his last book in 1820, entitled
Mémoire sur la digue de Cherbourg comparée au breakwater de Plymouth. In 1823, he left his position in Cherbourg and died shortly afterwards from a stroke at the
hôtel des Monnaies in Paris. == Literary Posterity ==