Benjamin Abram (1846–1938) was a French lawyer and politician. He served as the Mayor of

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...

from 1888 to 1896. He was the third Jewish Mayor of Aix-en-Provence and abandoned politics after the debacle of the antisemitic Dreyfus affair.

Early life

Benjamin Abram was born to a Jewish family on 23 September 1846 in Marseille.Centre Darius Milhaud: Avenue Benjamin Abram
/ref>GeneProvence
/ref> His father, Abraham Abram, was a businessman, and his mother was Précieuse Bédarrides. As a result,

Jassuda Bédarrides Jassuda Bédarrides (2 April 1804 – 4 February 1882) was a French lawyer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1848 to 1849. As such, he was the first Jewish Mayor of this city. Biography Early life Jassuda Bédarrides ...

(1804-1882), who served as the first Jewish Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1848 to 1849, was his maternal uncle. Another uncle,

Salomon Bédarrides Salomon Bédarrides (1809–1886) was a French lawyer and politician. He served as the mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1877 to 1884. Biography Early life Salomon Bédarrides was born in a Jewish family on 18 February 1809 in Aix-en-Provence. His br ...

, went on to serve as the mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1877 to 1884. He was educated at the

Lycée Thiers In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

in Marseille and studied the Law at the

University of Aix-en-Provence Aix-Marseille University (AMU; french: Aix-Marseille Université; formally incorporated as ''Université d'Aix-Marseille'') is a public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II o ...

Career

He started his career as a lawyer in 1866. He served as

bâtonnier In some legal systems, the bâtonnier is the head of the legal profession (the bar). Jersey In Jersey, the Bâtonnier is head of the profession of advocate. The role includes administering the legal aid system for the island (the day-to-day admin ...

from 1885 to 1887.Paul Masson, Henri Barré, ''Encyclopédie départementale des Bouches-du-Rhône'', Marseille, 1913, vol. 11, p. 3 A supporter of the Republic and a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, he embarked upon a career in politics. He served on the General Council representing Lambesc from 1880 to 1898. He received the Knighthood of the Legion of Honour in 1887. He served as Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1888 to 1896, after being re-elected in 1892.

Jean-Rémy Palanque Jean-Rémy Palanque (7 March 1898 in Marseille – 2 June 1988, Aix-en-Provence) was a professor of ancient history at the Faculty of Letters at Montpellier, then at the University of Aix-en-Provence. He was a member of the Institute, the Acad� ...

, ''Le Diocèse d'Aix-en-Provence'', Aix-en-Provence: Editions Beauchesne, 1975, p. 21

/ref> After the Dreyfus affair of 1894–1906, he abandoned politics and returned to practising the Law.

Personal life

On 6 September 1882, he married Esther Baze in

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

. They had two children: *Samuel Élie Paul Abram (1883-unknown). *Maurice David Joseph Abram (1887-unknown).

Death

He died on 30 April 1938 in Aix-en-Provence.

Legacy

The ''Avenue Benjamin Abram'' in Aix-en-Provence is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abram, Benjamin 1846 births 1938 deaths Politicians from Marseille Mayors of Aix-en-Provence Jewish mayors 19th-century French lawyers Jewish French politicians People associated with the Dreyfus affair Knights of the Legion of Honour 19th-century French Jews 20th-century French lawyers