Claude-Désiré Barodet (27 July 1823 – 28 April 1906) was a French Radical Republican politician.

Biography

The son of a teacher, Barodet studied at a minor seminary; however he later changed his profession and trained to become a teacher. He was inspired of the new ideas brought about by the

1848 Revolutions The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

. He was summoned by Minister Falloux for republican propaganda, but dismissed because of his radical views. He then became a free teacher at Cuisery. After the 1851 coup d'état, he joined Lyon where he campaigned alongside the Republicans. He became a merchant there and joined

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He also attended a republican club, the Cercle de la Ruche where he met Jacques-Louis Hénon. After the fall of the Empire in 1870 and later the suppression of the

Lyon Commune The Lyon Commune (French language, French: ''Commune de Lyon'') was a short-lived revolutionary movement in Lyon, France, in 1870–1871. Republicans and activists from several components of the Far-left politics, far-left of the time seized po ...

(which he took part in), he was one of the leaders of the local radical party and was appointed Mayor of Lyon in 1871 by

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( ; ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian who served as President of France from 1871 to 1873. He was the second elected president and the first of the Third French Republic. Thi ...

at the request of the Conseil municipal. He had to resign this office when the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, by a special law of 4 April 1873, abolished the central mairie of Lyon and subordinated the municipal authorities to the government because of their radical tendencies. The Radical party then nominated him as their candidate in a by-election in Paris against moderate Republican

Charles de Rémusat Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

, and Barodet won a victory on 27 April that saw Thiers overthrown as the legitimists in the Assembly used him as an occasion taken to give Thiers a vote of no confidence. At the beginning of the Third Republic, Barodet joined the extreme left in the National Assembly, the Republican Left in the Chamber of Deputies and was one of the leaders of the Radicals. In 1877, he was the author of the first bill on free, compulsory and secular primary education, taken up by

Jules Ferry Jules François Camille Ferry (; 5 April 183217 March 1893) was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans, Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 18 ...

in 1882. That same year (1877) he was one of the signatories of the manifesto of 363. On 11 November 1881, he proposed the principle of the publication of the electoral programs and commitments of deputies so that each citizen could check whether the commitments are kept; this work called "the Barodet" is still topical in the National Assembly. In 1896, he left the Chamber of Deputies for the Senate, where he remained until 1900.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barodet, Désiré 1823 births 1906 deaths Members of the National Assembly (1871) French senators of the Third Republic Members of the 2nd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 5th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Freemasons French critics of religions