Henri Torres
Encyclopedia
Henry Torrès was a flamboyant French trial lawyer and politician, and a prolific writer on political and legal matters.
in 1891. His grandfather, Isaiah Levaillant, had founded the League for the Defense of Human and Civil Rights during the Dreyfus Affair
.
, was injured at Verdun
and won several medals including the Croix de Guerre
.
After the war Torres decided to study law and became a criminal lawyer. With Vincent de Moro-Giafferi
and César Campinchi
he was known as one of the "three Musketeers" -- all brilliant young leaders of the Paris bar. In his early years Torrès had aspired to become a comedian
, but his style was encumbered by a pronounced lisp
. Nonetheless, in his later years he was famed for his booming voice and flamboyant personality.
Torrès was involved in several criminal trials, before the Schwartzbard trial
, not only in Paris but in Moscow and in Rumania. Upon returning to Paris he initiated a protest campaign denouncing the barbaric treatment of Jews in Bessarabia
. After the Schwartzbard trial
he was recognized as one of France's leading trial lawyers and remained active in political affairs.
After the Nazi invasion of France, Torrès fled to South America
, but was expelled first from Uruguay
and then from Brazil
because of his leftist associations. He moved on to Canada
and then the United States
. While in America, he campaigned against the Vichy regime and supported Charles de Gaulle
. As a Jew, he had been banned from the French bar and because of his anti-government pamphlets and books he was condemned to death by the Petain regime.
Torres served as editor-in-chief of La Voix de France, a political journal for refugees and later as a professor of law at the Universities of Rio de Janeiro
and Sao Paulo
. After the war, he returned to his homeland and was reinstated into the French bar.
From 1948 to 1958 he was a Gaullist senator for the Seine department.
He served briefly as Vice President of the High Court of Justice and did work in the national radio and television system, serving as President of the state monopoly from 1948 to 1959.
Torres was a prolific writer and also wrote plays with a legal background including French translations of The Trial of Mary Dugan and Witness for the Prosecution. Henry Torrès died at his Paris
home in 1966. He was 75.
Family
Henry Torrès was born in Les AndelysLes Andelys
Les Andelys is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Geography:It lies on the Seine, about 35 km northeast of Évreux.The commune is divided into two parts, Grand-Andely and Petit-Andely.-Population:-Sights:...
in 1891. His grandfather, Isaiah Levaillant, had founded the League for the Defense of Human and Civil Rights during the Dreyfus Affair
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
.
Career
As a young man, Torres became an active communist and worked as a journalist for various socialist publications. During the First World War he served as an infantry sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
, was injured at Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
and won several medals including the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
After the war Torres decided to study law and became a criminal lawyer. With Vincent de Moro-Giafferi
Vincent de Moro-Giafferi
Vincent de Moro-Giafferi was a French criminal attorney.Moro-Giafferi was the youngest person ever appointed to the Paris bar at the age of 24. Also active in politics, he was made a Deputy to the French National Assembly from Corsica at the age of 31 in 1919...
and César Campinchi
César Campinchi
César Campinchi was a lawyer and French statesman in the beginning of the 20th century....
he was known as one of the "three Musketeers" -- all brilliant young leaders of the Paris bar. In his early years Torrès had aspired to become a comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, but his style was encumbered by a pronounced lisp
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
. Nonetheless, in his later years he was famed for his booming voice and flamboyant personality.
Torrès was involved in several criminal trials, before the Schwartzbard trial
Sholom Schwartzbard
Sholem Schwarzbard was a Bessarabian-born Jewish poet and anarchist, known primarily for the assassination of the Ukrainian nationalist leader Symon Petliura...
, not only in Paris but in Moscow and in Rumania. Upon returning to Paris he initiated a protest campaign denouncing the barbaric treatment of Jews in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
. After the Schwartzbard trial
Schwartzbard trial
The Schwartzbard trial was a sensational 1927 French murder trial that resulted in a mistrial of international proportions. At the trial Sholom Schwartzbard was accused of murdering the Ukrainian immigrant and head of the Ukrainian government-in-exile Symon Petlura in Paris...
he was recognized as one of France's leading trial lawyers and remained active in political affairs.
After the Nazi invasion of France, Torrès fled to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, but was expelled first from Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and then from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
because of his leftist associations. He moved on to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and then the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. While in America, he campaigned against the Vichy regime and supported Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. As a Jew, he had been banned from the French bar and because of his anti-government pamphlets and books he was condemned to death by the Petain regime.
Writer
In New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Torres served as editor-in-chief of La Voix de France, a political journal for refugees and later as a professor of law at the Universities of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. After the war, he returned to his homeland and was reinstated into the French bar.
From 1948 to 1958 he was a Gaullist senator for the Seine department.
He served briefly as Vice President of the High Court of Justice and did work in the national radio and television system, serving as President of the state monopoly from 1948 to 1959.
Torres was a prolific writer and also wrote plays with a legal background including French translations of The Trial of Mary Dugan and Witness for the Prosecution. Henry Torrès died at his Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
home in 1966. He was 75.
Further reading
- Jean-Denis Bredin, The Affair: The Case of Alfred Dreyfus (1986)
- Eric Cahm, The Dreyfus Affair in French Society and Politics (1996), ISBN 0-582-27679-9)
- Guy Chapman, The Dreyfus Trials (1972)
- Nicholas Halasz, Captain Dreyfus: The Story of a Mass Hysteria (1955)
- Michael Burns, France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History (1999)
- David Levering Lewis, Prisoners of Honor, the Dreyfus Affair(1994),Henry Holt and Co, ISBN 0-8050-3766-7
- The Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG, The Dreyfus Case a Century On - Ten Lessons for Ireland & Australia http://www.lawsociety.ie/documents/committees/hr/lectures/dreyfusaffair2006.pdf