Jean Casimir-Perier
Encyclopedia
Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier (ʒɑ̃ kazimiʁ pɛʁje; 8 November 1847 – 11 March 1907) was a French politician, fifth president of the French Third Republic
.
and the grandson of Casimir Pierre Perier
, premier of Louis Philippe
. He entered public life as secretary to his father, who was minister of the interior under the presidency of Thiers
.
In 1874 he was elected general councillor of the Aube
département, and was sent by the same département to the chamber of deputies
in the general elections of 1876, and he was always re-elected until his presidency. In spite of the traditions of his family, Casimir-Perier joined the group of Republicans
on the Left
, and was one of the 363 on the Seize-Mai (1877). He refused to vote the expulsion of the princes in 1883, and resigned as deputy upon the enactment of the law, because of his personal connections with the family of Orléans.
On 17 August 1883 he became under-secretary of state for war, a post he retained until 7 January 1885. From 1890 to 1892 he was vice-president of the chamber, then in 1893 president. On 3 December he became prime-minister, holding the department of foreign affairs, resigned in May 1894, and was re-elected president of the chamber.
On 24 June 1894, after the assassination of President Carnot
, he was elected president of the republic by 451 votes against 195 for Henri Brisson
and 97 for Charles Dupuy
. His presidency lasted only six months. The resignation of the Dupuy ministry on 14 January 1895 was followed the next day by that of the president. Casimir-Perier explained his action by the fact that he found himself ignored by the ministers, who did not consult him before taking decisions, and did not keep him informed upon political events, especially in foreign affairs.
From that time he completely abandoned politics, and devoted himself to business – especially mining. At the trial of Alfred Dreyfus
at Rennes
, Casimir-Perier's evidence, as opposed to that of General Mercier, was of great value to the cause of Dreyfus.
Changes
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
.
Biography
He was born in Paris, the son of Auguste Casimir-PerierAuguste Casimir-Perier
Auguste Victor Laurent Casimir-Perier was a French diplomat and political leader. He was the son of Casimir Pierre Perier and the father of President Jean Casimir-Perier....
and the grandson of Casimir Pierre Perier
Casimir Pierre Perier
Casimir Pierre Perier was a French statesman, President of the Council during the July Monarchy, when he headed the conservative Parti de la résistance .-Life:...
, premier of Louis Philippe
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
. He entered public life as secretary to his father, who was minister of the interior under the presidency of Thiers
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers was a French politician and historian. was a prime minister under King Louis-Philippe of France. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to prominence as the French leader who suppressed the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871...
.
In 1874 he was elected general councillor of the Aube
Aube
Aube is a department in the northeastern part of France named after the Aube River. In 1995, its population was 293,100 inhabitants.- History :Aube is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département, and was sent by the same département to the chamber of deputies
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
in the general elections of 1876, and he was always re-elected until his presidency. In spite of the traditions of his family, Casimir-Perier joined the group of Republicans
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
on the Left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
, and was one of the 363 on the Seize-Mai (1877). He refused to vote the expulsion of the princes in 1883, and resigned as deputy upon the enactment of the law, because of his personal connections with the family of Orléans.
On 17 August 1883 he became under-secretary of state for war, a post he retained until 7 January 1885. From 1890 to 1892 he was vice-president of the chamber, then in 1893 president. On 3 December he became prime-minister, holding the department of foreign affairs, resigned in May 1894, and was re-elected president of the chamber.
On 24 June 1894, after the assassination of President Carnot
Marie François Sadi Carnot
Marie François Sadi Carnot was a French statesman and the fourth president of the Third French Republic. He served as the President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.-Early life:...
, he was elected president of the republic by 451 votes against 195 for Henri Brisson
Henri Brisson
Eugène Henri Brisson was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France for a period in 1885-1886 and again in 1898.-Biography:He was born at Bourges , and followed his father’s profession of advocate. Having made his mark in opposition during the last days of the empire, he was appointed...
and 97 for Charles Dupuy
Charles Dupuy
Charles Alexandre Dupuy was a French statesman, three times prime minister.-Biography:He was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, Auvergne, where his father was a minor official. After a period as a professor of philosophy in the provinces, he was appointed a school inspector, thus obtaining a...
. His presidency lasted only six months. The resignation of the Dupuy ministry on 14 January 1895 was followed the next day by that of the president. Casimir-Perier explained his action by the fact that he found himself ignored by the ministers, who did not consult him before taking decisions, and did not keep him informed upon political events, especially in foreign affairs.
From that time he completely abandoned politics, and devoted himself to business – especially mining. At the trial of Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most tense political dramas in modern French and European history...
at Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, Casimir-Perier's evidence, as opposed to that of General Mercier, was of great value to the cause of Dreyfus.
Casimir-Perier's Ministry, 3 December 1893 – 30 May 1894
- Jean Casimir-Perier – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Auguste Mercier – Minister of War
- David Raynal – Minister of the Interior
- Auguste BurdeauAuguste BurdeauAuguste-Laurent Burdeau was a French politician.He was the son of a laborer at Lyon. Forced from childhood to earn his own living, he was enabled to secure an education by bursarships at the Lycée at Lyon and at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris.In 1870 he was at the École Normale Supérieure in...
– Minister of Finance - Antonin DubostAntonin DubostAntonin Dubost was a French journalist, State Councillor and Senator. He served as President of the French Senate from 1906 to 1920. He was a member of the Democratic Republican Alliance....
– Minister of Justice - Jean Marty – Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Colonies
- Auguste Alfred Lefèvre – Minister of Marine
- Eugène SpullerEugène SpullerEugène Spuller was a French politician and writer.He was born at Seurre , his father being a German who had married and settled in France. After studying law at Dijon, he went to Paris, where he was called to the bar, and became close to Léon Gambetta, collaborating with him in 1868 in the...
– Minister of Public Instruction, Fine Arts, and Worship - Albert Viger – Minister of Agriculture
- Charles JonnartCharles JonnartCharles Célestin Auguste Jonnart was a French politician.Born into a bourgeois family in Fléchin, Pas-de-Calais, Charles Jonnart was educated at Saint-Omer, then in Paris. Interested in the Algeria that he had visited as a young man, he was appointed in 1881 by Léon Gambetta to the office of...
– Minister of Public Works
Changes
- 20 March 1894 – Jean Marty becomes Minister of Posts and Telegraphs as well as Minister of Commerce and Industry. Ernest Boulanger succeeds Marty as Minister of Colonies.