Ferdinand Marie , Vicomte de Lesseps , GCSI ( 19 November 1805 - 7 December 1894 ) was the French developer of the Suez Canal , which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869 . Ferdinand Marie , Vicomte de Lesseps , GCSI ( 19 November 1805 -- 7 December 1894 ) was the French developer of the Suez Canal , which joined the Mediterranean and Red Seas in 1869 , and substantially reduced sailing distances and times between the West and the East .