Raoul, Comte de Boigne

Raoul, Comte de Boigne, was a descendant of the noble family de Boigne from the Savoy region. His father was a long-term General Councillor of Haute-Savoie. Raoul married Jeanne du Pouget de Nadaillac in 1893. A French army colonel, he was leader of an artillery squadron before World War I and later worked for the Maison Hotchkiss, an arms and civil cars manufacturer.

Starting competitive shooting in 1900, he won several regional, national and international events in the following years, mostly with the military or free rifle. In 1905 and 1906, he became French champion with the revolver. Raoul de Boigne was three times Olympian (1900, 1908, 1912) and competed in the Intercalated Games. At Athens in 1906, he won silver with the military revolver and two bronze in rifle events. In 1908, he added an Olympic bronze in the free rifle, three positions, team competition. Four years later, he narrowly missed a medal in the same event placing fourth.

Around 1905, Raoul de Boigne developed a vertical sighting apparatus, which was validated by the Ministry of War. In 1918, he was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honor. In the 1930s, he also wrote plays for the theatre.