Robert Sexé

Robert Sexé (17 November 1890 – 1986) was a French reporter, motorcyclist, photographer and globetrotter. His travels around the world are considered to be an inspiration for the comic character Tintin. He was a reporter for La Moto, La Revue de Automobile, and Le Petit Parisien.

Early life Robert Sexé was born in La Roche-sur-Yon, in Western France. He was raised by his father's brother as he was orphaned at a very young age. He studied at French-based Jesuit College of St. Joseph and received a Bachelor of Letters in 1907. He then moved to London to study at the London School of Economics, where he read Economics. He purchased his first motorcycle in 1912. The short-lived newspaper The Daily Citizen hired Sexé to be a special correspondent for the Balkan Wars.

In 1926, Sexé, along with Henri Andrieux, travelled around the world with their Belgian built Gillet Herstal motorcycles. They left Paris on 14 June and ended their trip in Brussels on 3 December. They received cooperation from the Soviet government in their travels in the USSR, with fuel being placed in convenient areas for them to refill their bikes.

Later life

During World War II, Sexé wrote articles for La Gerbe, a French collaborationist weekly newspaper that promoted Vichy or Nazi beliefs.

Sexé died in 1986 in Poitiers, France.