Jean Jules Godefroy Calès () was a French politician and physician. He was born on July 24, 1828, in

Villefranche-de-Lauragais Villefranche-de-Lauragais (Languedocien: ''Vilafranca de Lauragués'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Villefranche-de-Lauragais station Villefranche-de-Lauragais station (French: ''Gare de Villefranche-de- ...

(

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...

) and died on November 2, 1899, in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

(

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

Biography

« ''Son of Jean Marie Noël

Godefroy Calès Jean Marie Noël Godefroy Calès () was a French physician and politician. He was born on 21 March 1799 in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) and died on 25 July 1868 in Villefranche-de-Lauragais (Haute-Garonne). ...

, physician doctor, and of dame Léonie Alphonsine Zulmée Metgé'' », Jean Jules Godefroy Calès was born in

(

) on July 24, 1828. His father, the doctor

(1799–1868) was a deputy (''Représentant du Peuple'') of

at the Constituent National Assembly (1848–1849) under 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 ...

. His grandfather, Jean Calès (1764–1840), also physician, was the Administrator of

and Inspector-General of military hospitals. His grand-uncles were Jean-Marie Calès (1757–1834), who was deputy at the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

and at the Council of Five Hundred under the

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 ...

, and Jean-Chrysostôme Calès (1769–1853), who was

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the Great Army,

baron of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...

and elected at the ephemeral Chamber of Representatives created by

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

during the period of the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

in 1815. The Calès family came from old Protestant families rooted in the region of

Lauragais The Lauragais () is an area of the south-west of France that is south-east of Toulouse. The Lauragais, a former county in the south-west of France, takes its name from the town of Laurac and has a large area. It covers both sides of the Canal ...

and forced to convert to Catholicism after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes issued by

king Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

in 1685.

Under the Second French Empire (1852–1870)

Jean Jules Godefroy studied medicine in Paris and in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, and, after receiving his doctor's degree in 1854, he settled in his native town of

. He exercised there, and free of charge, the functions of doctor of the prisons, of the gendarmerie, of the charity office, and of the schools & assisted children. He was later elected

Municipal Councilor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

(1863–1875) and then Mayor of Villefranche-de-Lauragais (1875–1892), a function he exercised for nearly seventeen years. He also became General Councilor of the ''canton'' of Villefranche from 1880 to 1898. During the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...

, Calès took part to the fights of the Democratic Party against

Emperor Napoleon III 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 ...

, and presented his candidature to the ''Corps législatif'' (French parliament), as a candidate of the Republican Opposition at the Legislative Elections of May 24, 1869, in the 3rd district of

: he failed, obtaining however 7,730 votes against 16,523 for the official candidate, the outgoing Bonapartist deputy M. Piccioni. The famous leader of the

French Socialist Party The Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste , PS) is a French centre-left and social-democratic political party. It holds pro-European views. The PS was for decades the largest party of the "French Left" and used to be one of the two major p ...

Jules Guesde will report with ardor, indignation and with a certain sense of irony, this electoral defeat of the doctor Calès in a polemical article published the August 31, 1869, in his republican newspaper « ''La liberté de l’Hérault'' »:

Under the French Third Republic (1870–1885)

Au camp de Toulouse - Fonds Trutat - 51Fi232

After the outbreak of the Franco-German war on July 19, 1870, Calès was appointed,

Sub-Prefect A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefecture ...

of his ''Arrondissement'' on September 5, 1870, just three days after the defeat of the French troops at the

battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...

and the capitulation of

Napoleon III 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 ...

on September 2 (which provoked his exile and the fall of the Second Empire), and the next day only after the proclamation of the Third Republic by Republican leader Léon Gambetta, on September 4. But soon he considered that his place was with those who defended France against the Prussian invasion. He thus resigned from his new position and joined the Army in November, in one of the eleven regional military camps created by Gambetta, who was newly appointed Minister of the Interior and of War in the Government of National Defense. He was appointed ''Chief Physician'' of the military Camp of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

on November 20, 1870, a position he held until his demobilization on March 15, 1871.in « ''Lettres de Jean-Jules Calès à

Edgar Quinet Edgar Quinet (; 17 February 180327 March 1875) was a French historian and intellectual. Biography Early years Quinet was born at Bourg-en-Bresse, in the ''département'' of Ain. His father, Jérôme Quinet, had been a commissary in the army, b ...

et à Mme Edgar Quinet (1868–1873)'' », Pierre Arches, January 1992, Bulletin de la Société archéologique, historique littéraire & scientifique du Gers. Public domain. Read online on the website of Gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France): http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65770312/f226 After the victory of the German troops, the signing of the

Armistice of Versailles The Armistice of Versailles that came into effect on 28 January 1871 brought to an end the active phase of the Franco-Prussian War. The signatories were Jules Favre, foreign minister in the provisional Government of National Defence, for the Fren ...

on January 28, 1871, and the suspension of the hostilities, and in accordance with the German requirements which stipulated that elections should be organized rapidly to form an Assembly aimed at ratifying peace, Calès made a second electoral attempt at the Legislative Elections of February 8, 1871: he arrived first on the list of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

led by Gambetta with 27,349 votes. However, the mixed list of the ''National Union'', essentially composed of Monarchists, won (M. de Belcastel, the last elected member of this list, passed with 63,123 votes). The newly formed Assembly, mostly monarchist and favorable to peace, invested on February 19, a new government headed by

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...

. He was not more successful at the Legislative Elections of August 21, 1881; 4,229 « opportunistic» votes ( Moderate Republicans, ''center-left'') were reported on his name in the second district of

, but the outgoing Radical-socialist (''extreme-left'') deputy and ex-Prefect of Haute-Garonne in 1870, Armand Duportal was reelected with 4,618 votes. Jean Jules Godefroy Calès, however, was made

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of the

Legion of Honor 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 ...

(''Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur'') on July 9, 1883.

At the French Parliament (1885–1889)

Jean Jules Godefroy Calès was finally elected deputy of

at the Legislative Elections of October 4, 1885. As general councilor of Villefranche since 1880, he was placed on the list of the Moderate Republicans and obtained 27,244 votes in the first round. Several Republicans of diverse horizons decided to concentrate their votes on his list for the second round, to stop the success of the Monarchists (who had already two elected candidates). Thus, Calès passed as the penultimate of the list, on October 18, 1885, and was elected with 57,621 votes (out of 113,803 voters and 138,226 registered). Calès sat within the parliamentary group of the Radical Left, and held, in his votes, an almost equal balance between the Moderate and Opportunists Republicans and the

Radicals Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

Republicans, both in the majority of this new chamber, due to their grouping, and this, despite the push of the Conservative Union of the Monarchists and Bonapartists. Calès thus sat during 4 years, during the ''IVth legislature'' which took place from November 10, 1885, to November 11, 1889, under the presidency of the Republic of Jules Grévy (until December 2, 1887) and then of Sadi Carnot. Calès neither supported the Freycinet government (1886) nor the Goblet government (1886–87), both composed of broad parliamentary coalitions and including

General Boulanger Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891), nicknamed Général Revanche ("General Revenge"), was a French general and politician. An enormously popular public figure during the second decade of the Third Repub ...

at the War Ministry. The General Georges Ernest Boulanger was an extremely popular politician, promoter of an aggressive

nationalism Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

(known as revanchism) against Germany (he was nicknamed « ''Général Revanche'' »), and powerful enough to establish himself as dictator at the zenith of his popularity in January 1889, obliging the Republican camp to reorganize and strengthen its solidarity in opposition to him. After having shaken the Third Republic, the General was finally condemned, fled France, and committed suicide in Belgium in 1891. Calès supported however the Rouvier government (1887), in which General Boulanger was dismissed, the Tirard government (1887–88), composed by the President of the Republic Sadi Carnot, newly elected by the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on December 2, 1887, the government Floquet (1888–89) and the second government Tirard (1889–90), all governments with a Republican opportunist majority. Established during the

Boulanger affair Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891), nicknamed Général Revanche ("General Revenge"), was a French general and politician. An enormously popular public figure during the second decade of the Third Repub ...

, this prestigious cabinet, in which four former presidents of the Council were seating ( Fallières, de Freycinet, Rouvier and Tirard), was also supported by Radical Republicans to counter the Boulangist movement. In this last parliamentary session, Calès abstained on the ''re-establishment of the uni-nominal ballot'' (law of February 13, 1889), voted against the indefinite postponement of Constitutional revision, in favor of the Lisbon bill restrictive on the freedom of the press, and for the prosecution of three deputies who were members the far-right

Ligue des Patriotes The League of Patriots (french: Ligue des Patriotes) was a French far-right league, founded in 1882 by the nationalist poet Paul Déroulède, historian Henri Martin and politician Félix Faure. The Ligue began as a non-partisan nationalist league ...

which was dissolved on April 3, 1889. In particular, he voted on April 4, 1889, in favor of the prosecution of

« ''for

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...

and

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

able activity'' », thus marking the twilight of Boulangism. At the end of his mandate, Calès did not postulate for a second one ( Legislative Elections of September 22, 1889). Like his father

(1799–1868), Jean-Jules had a close friendship relation with the writer, philosopher, poet, historian, professor at the Collège de France and republican politician

(1803–1875) and his second wife,

Hermiona Asachi Hermiona Asachi (, surname also spelled Asaki; December 16, 1821 – December 9, 1900) was a Romanian writer and translator. Life Hermiona was born Glicheria Melirato, the daughter of Kiriaco Melirato and Elena Asachi, Elena Teyber. She was ...

(1821–1900). His father and Quinet had already met on the benches of the Constituent National Assembly of 1848 and had shared, then, many common ideas. The son maintained a regular epistolary correspondence from 1868 to 1973 with the couple Quinet during their forced exile in Switzerland (sent by

) and after their return to France in 1870. The Quinet will respond to the invitation of Calès and come to visit him several times in

. Madame Quinet wrote later:

At the Direction of the psychiatric Hospital « ''Château-Picon'' » of Bordeaux (1889–1899)

Following his parliamentary career, Calès was appointed, on September 2, 1889, and until his death in November 1899, Director of the

psychiatric asylum Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociati ...

, « ''Château-Picon'' » ''(since 1974: Hospital Center Charles Perrens)''. He died in this city on November 2, 1899, at the age of 71. He had with his wife ''Paule Laure Blanc'' only one son, ''Godefroy Victor Albert Calès'' (born in Villefranche on October 31, 1856, and deceased in Sarcelles in 1940), who will succeed him later, as

sub-Prefect A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefecture ...

Florac Florac is a former commune of the Lozère department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Florac-Trois-Rivières. History Medieval Raymond of Anduze held the barony of Florac and is recorded as using ...

(Lozère, 1894), then as Mayor of Villefranche-de-Lauragais (1896–1904) – where he installed public electricity for the first time in the city – and finally as General Councilor of the ''canton'' of Villefranche (1898–1904 then 1907–1914) in the list of the Radical-socialist party. Albert Calès presented, without success, his candidature at the legislative elections of 1906 (the candidate of the moderate Right, Henri Auriol, won). He was then appointed to the warehouse administration for tobacco in

and finally tax collector in Dammartin-en-Goële in the region of Paris, where he had a rather controversial end of life. Albert Calès was married three times during his life, first with ''Marie Cabantous'' (who died very early, on September 13, 1882, in Villefranche) with whom he had his unique daughter (''Augustine Laure Marthe Calès'', deceased in 1977, the only descendant of Jean Jules Godefroy and Albert Calès), then with ''Jeanne Cavé-Esgaris'' (also deceased early), and finally with ''Jeanne Pebernad de Langautier'' (1875–1962), whom he will marry on September 14, 1902.Etat Civil de Toulouse, Publications de mariages du 14 septembre 1902. in '' L'Express du Midi'', Thursday September 18, 1902.

Decorations and honors

''Chevalier'' de l'

Ordre de la légion d'Honneur A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(''Knight rank -'' July 9, 1883).Ordre de la Légion d'honneur
Archives of Jean Jules Godefroy Calès
on the Léonore database. Palmes academiques Officier ribbon

''Officier'' de l'

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(''Officer rank -'' « ''Officier d’Académie'' »).

Hommage

* A

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

was named after him in the commune of

(

), near

Genealogy

Jean Jules Godefroy Calès is: * the grand-nephew of Jean-Marie Calès (1757–1834), regicide and deputy at the

(1792–1795) and at the Council of Five Hundred (1795–1798). * the grand-nephew of Jean-Chrysostôme Calès (1769–1853),

of the Great Army and

. He has also been elected representative of the ephemeral Chamber of Representatives created by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

during the period of the

in 1815. * the son of

(1799–1868), deputy at the Constituent National Assembly ( Second Republic) (1848–1849).

Annexes

Bibliography

* « ''Jean Jules Godefroy Calès'' », in

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

et Cougny, ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français'', 1889 * Biography of Jean Jules Godefroy Calès on the website of the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

: http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/sycomore/fiche/%28num_dept%29/1376 * Ordre de la Légion d'honneur
Archives of Jean Jules Godefroy Calès
on the Léonore database. * « ''Lettres de Jean-Jules Calès à Edgar Quinet et à Mme Edgar Quinet (1868–1873)'' » by Pierre Arches, in Bulletin de la Société archéologique, historique littéraire & scientifique du Gers (January 1992), pp. 224–236. Source: National Library of France. Rights: Public Domain. Free reading online on the website of the National Library Gallica: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65770312/f226 * « ''Lettres d'exil à Michelet et à divers amis'' » (''Exile Letters to Michelet and to diverse friends'') by Edgar Quinet, in 4 volumes, Editions Calmann Lévy (1886). Public Domain. Free reading online on the website of "the Internet Archive" (Digitized by Google) https://archive.org/details/lettresdexilmic01quingoog * « ''Edgar Quinet depuis l'exil'' » (''Edgar Quinet from exile)'' by Mrs. Edgar Quinet, Hermione (1821–1900). Publisher: Calmann Lévy (Paris), 1889. Public domain. In French. Identify: ark: / 12148 / bpt6k836945. Source: National Library of France, Literature and Art Department, 8-Ln27-40314. Available on Gallica's website: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k836945/ * « ''Une famille du Midi du XVIIe siècle à nos jours : les Calès et leur descendance'' » (''A southern family from the 17th century to the present day: the Calès and their descendants'') by Pierre Arches, in la Revue du Tarn, no. 136 (1989), pp. 611–627.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cales, Jean Jules 1828 births 1899 deaths People from Villefranche-de-Lauragais French republicans Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of Parliament for Haute-Garonne 19th-century French physicians