 He is known for establishing the Sacred Heart Hospital in Abeokuta, being the longest serving missionary of the Society for African Missions, receiving an OBE for his work, being recognized by the government of Nigeria, and being “a stubborn individualist with a contentious streak” and one of the outstanding missionaries of his generation.Jean-Marie Coquard was born on November 27, 1859, in the Diocese of Nantes, France into a Catholic working-class family.Coquard was the second child and only son of Marie Louise and Francois-Marie Coquard, a "paludier" and cattle farmer.