Aimé-Marie-Gaspard, comte de Clermont-Tonnerre (27 November 1779 – 8 January 1865) was a French general and statesman. Son of Gaspard-Paulin, vicomte de Clermont-Tonnerre and Anne-Marie- Louise Bernard de Boulainvilliers, and grandson of the Marquis de Boulainvilliers, Clermont-Tonnerre lived during the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

with his grandfather.

Life

He entered the

École Polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

, before entering the army. He participated in the campaigns in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and was made adjudant of the

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first Sicilian Vespers, separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou ...

in 1808, in whose service he stayed afterwards. He married Charlotte de Cauvoisin and in 1814 returned to the French army as a colonel, was

Maréchal de Camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

and after the second return of the king, was made

Peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

and commander of the cavalry of the guard. Clermont-Tonnerre sided with the moderate conservative party and was named Minister of the Navy and the Colonies in 1820 by Villèle. In 1823, he became

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

and assiduously reorganized the army. Clermont-Tonnerre sent Hyacinthe de Bougainville around the world from 1824 to 1826 onboard ''Thétis'' and ''Espérance''.''The French Explorers and the Aboriginal Australians 1772–1839'' By Colin L. Dyer p.1

/ref> In 1827, he organized the French rule in Algeria, Algerian expedition, which was executed in 1830. After the revolution, he refused to swear allegiance to the new government of

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

and retired into private life. In 1852, he lobbied for the first rail line between Paris and

Cherbourg-en-Cotentin Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (, ; Norman: ''Tchidbouo'') is a port city in the department of Manche, Normandy, northwestern France, established on 1 January 2016.department of Eure. He died on his estate in Glissolles. The Hawaiian plant genus Clermontia was named in his honor by

Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré (September 4, 1789 – January 16, 1854) was a French botanist. Biography Gaudichaud was born in Angoulême, to J-J. Gaudichaud and Rose (Mallat) Gaudichaud. He studied pharmacology informally at Cognac and Angoulême, ...

References

* Camille Rousset, ''Le marquis de Clermont-Tonnerre'' (Par. 1885) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clermont-Tonnerre, Aime, Duc De 1779 births 1865 deaths Politicians from Paris Politicians of the Bourbon Restoration Aime de French generals Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Ministers of marine and the colonies Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Ministers of war of France