Eugène Corbin (1800–1874) was a French

procureur général In France, a procureur général is a prosecutor at a court of appeal (cour d'appel), at the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) or the Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government insti ...

(prosecutor-general) and politician. During the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Revo ...

(1848–1851) he helped suppress opposition to the government headed by

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. He was appointed Minister of Justice during the preparations for the coup of 2 December 1851, but did not accept the office and was replaced a few days later. He was first president of the

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

court of appeal from 1852 until 1870.

Early years

Eugène Corbin was born in 1800 to one of the leading families of Bourges. He married Victorine Boin, daughter of Antoine-Victor Boin, a doctor who was deputy for the department of

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

from 1815 to 1827. Eugène Corbin was appointed substitut (deputy) procureur-général at the royal court of

in August 1830. He also worked for the court at

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...

. He was known for his ability as a speaker.

Second Republic

During the

, Corbin ran unsuccessfully as a conservative candidate in the May 1849 national elections. He blamed his defeat on "red" candidates who claimed to be the true representatives of the people and promised to tax the rich and give the money to the poor. After the attempted insurrection of 13 June 1849 Corbin persecuted the opponents of Louis Napoleon in the departments of Cher,

Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

and

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.montagnardes" who spread the ideas of a social and democratic republic were relatively well-educated men, with professional status, the best example being

Félix Pyat Félix Pyat (4 October 1810 – 3 August 1889) was a French socialist journalist, playwright, politician and a leading figure of the Paris Commune. Biography He was born in Vierzon ( Cher), the son of a Legitimist lawyer. Called to the bar in Pari ...

, a lyrical and admired orator. More typically they were letter carriers, railway officials, teachers and minor officials. Corbin became procureur-général at

on 3 November 1849. On 19 November 1850 Corbin asked the legislative assembly for authority to pursue two of its members. In December 1850 Corbin talked of an "Amelioration de l'esprit public" (improvement in public feeling). However, tensions mounted and early in September 1851 he launched a huge hunt against the Republicans. In justifying his actions Corbin spoke of revolutionaries who exploited working class poverty and the plight of farmers. He described secret initiation ceremonies with solemn oaths and raised the specter of a return to the anarchy and violence of the first

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. In the autumn of 1851 two military commissions arrested 1,200 people in the Cher department, of whom 857 were given sentences that ranged from being placed under surveillance to deportation. Corbin was appointed Minister of Justice on 26 October 1851 by

Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. He was to replace

Eugène Rouher Eugène Rouher (30 November 18143 February 1884) was a French statesman of the Second Empire. He was born at Riom (Puy-de-Dôme), where he practised law after taking his degree in Paris in 1835. In 1846 he sought election to the Chamber of De ...

, whose resignation had been accepted.

Charles Giraud Charles Joseph Barthélémy Giraud (20 February 1802 – 13 July 1881) was a French lawyer and politician. He was twice Minister of Education during the French Second Republic. Early years Charles Joseph Barthélémy Giraud was born on 20 Februa ...

, Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, was named interim minister of justice in Corbin's absence. Corbin did not accept the appointment. On 1 November 1851

Alfred Daviel Alfred Daviel (12 June 1800 – 3 March 1856) was a French lawyer and politician who was appointed Minister of Justice in the last cabinet of the French Second Republic. Early years Alfred Daviel came from a respected Norman bourgeois family. He ...

was made keeper of the seals and minister of justice.

Later career

Corbin retained his position at the court of Bourges. He addressed the court at an opening ceremony on 3 November 1851. Corbin replaced Claude Denis Mater as first president of the Bourges Court of Appeals in 1852. He held office until 1870, when he was succeeded by Louis Baudouin. During the Franco-Prussian War (19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871), on 20 September 1870 he addressed the National Assembly on the emergency situation. Eugène Corbin was awarded the rank of commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

. He died in 1874.

References

Sources

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