Joseph Marie Philippe Thierry (2 March 1857 – 22 September 1918) was a French lawyer and politician.
He was deputy for
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
from 1898 to 1918.
He was Minister of Public Works in 1913 and Minister of Finance in 1917.
As Minister of Finance he introduced reforms that made the newly introduced income tax more
progressive
Progressive may refer to:
Politics
* Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform
** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context
* Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...
.
Life
Early years
Joseph Marie Philippe Thierry was born on 20 March 1857 in
Haguenau
Haguenau (; Alsatian: or ; and historically in English: ''Hagenaw'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department of France, of which it is a sub-prefecture.
It is second in size in the Bas-Rhin only to Strasbourg, some to the south. To the ...
, Bas-Rhin.
He was the son of the last French mayor of Haguenau before the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
His family was expelled by the Germans and took refuge in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, where Joseph Thierry began to study Law.
He went on to the faculties of Law in
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. ...
and Paris.
He became an attorney in Marseille specializing in commercial and financial cases.
Deputy
Thierry was elected deputy for
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
representing the 3rd district of Marseille on 22 March 1898 in the first round.
He was reelected in the first round in 1902, 1906, 1910 and 1914.
In the Chamber he was particularly involved in economic issues.
He was vice president of the Customs committee from 1902, and president of this committee from 1910 to 1913.
He supported free trade. He was opposed to the bill separating the Church and State.
In 1903 Thierry was among a group of right-wing members of the Progressistes who formed the new
Fédération républicaine
The Republican Federation (french: Fédération républicaine, FR) was the largest conservative party during the French Third Republic, gathering together the progressive Orléanists rallied to the Republic.
Founded in November 1903, the party ...
(FR), a party of the center-right.
Other founders included liberal opponents of the second empire and dedicated republicans such as
Alexandre Ribot
Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister.
Early career
Ribot was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where he ...
,
Jules Méline
Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898.
Biography
Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 187 ...
,
Henri Barboux and
Édouard Aynard.
The organization was militantly republican, but socially conservative.
From 1906 to 1911 Thierry was president of the FR as successor to the founding president Eugène Motte.
Thierry initiated annual party conferences, and managed to increase support for the FR in the provinces.
In November 1910 he asked his party to accept the lay laws that
Aristide Briand
Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
proposed under his "appeasement" policy.
In December 1911 Thierry left the FR. Later he joined the
Alliance démocratique
Democratic Alliance (''Alliance démocratique'', AD) was a short-lived political party in Quebec, Canada, founded by the Montreal journalist and politician Nick Auf der Maur. This left-of-centre political party was mainly based among the anglopho ...
(ARD).
In 1914 Thierry joined the centrist Gauche démocratique parliamentary group.
The Méline tariff of 11 January 1892, named after its author
Jules Méline
Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898.
Biography
Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 187 ...
, was a protectionist tariff that aimed to ensure that French colonies sold to France and bought from France rather than trading with other countries. It drew mounting criticism from colonial businessmen who thought it retarded economic growth.
As ''rapporteur'' for the standing parliamentary commission on customs, in 1910 Thierry represented the views of the reformist Fédération Intercolonial to an inter-ministry committee that had been set up "to fix the basis for the establishment of a colonial customs regime more favorable to the economic development of our colonies."
The committee submitted its report on 23 February 1910. The reformists had been ignored and the protectionist Méline tariff was reconfirmed.
Cabinet positions
Thierry was
Minister of Public Works
This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure.
See also
* Public works
* Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...
from 22 March 1913 to 2 December 1913 in the cabinet of
Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in Jul ...
.
As a
Progressist he was attacked by the Radicals, who considered that he was a reactionary.
In 1913 Thierry introduced a bill, which was passed, to allow airships to fly over private property.
The landowner could no longer claim rights to the airspace, but could claim for any damages caused to the airship.
Thierry said the purpose was "while protecting the public, not to injure in any way a new national industry."
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–18)
Aristide Briand
Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
appointed him Under-secretary of State for War responsible for military supplies from 1 July 1915 to 12 December 1916.
On 7 May 1916 Thierry assisted
Marcel Sembat
Marcel Sembat (, 19 October 1862 – 5 September 1922) was a French Socialist politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1893 to 1922, and as Minister of Public Works from August 26, 1914, to December 12, 1916.
B ...
, Minister of Public Works, in inaugurating the
Rove Tunnel
The Rove Tunnel ( French: ''Tunnel du Rove'') is a currently out-of-use canal tunnel in Southern France that connected the 16th arrondissement of Marseille to the Étang de Berre in the Bouches-du-Rhône department from 1927 to 1963. It allowed for ...
and the first two cranes of
Port-de-Bouc
Port-de-Bouc (; oc, Lo Pòrt de Boc) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
The following is a list of the 119 communes of the Bouches-du-Rhô ...
.
The tunnel was the most challenging section of the
Canal de Marseille au Rhône
The Canal de Marseille au Rhône connects the Mediterranean Sea at Marseille to the Rhône at Arles. The section between Marignane and Marseille has been closed since the collapse of the Rove Tunnel in 1963.
Description
The canal has a total leng ...
, which would connect Marseille to the
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
river.
After many delays, the canal was finally opened to traffic in April 1927.
Thierry was
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
from 20 March 1917 to 7 September 1917 under
Alexandre Ribot
Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister.
Early career
Ribot was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where he ...
.
Thierry was described as "the rare Third Republic politician who was qualified to deal with financial and commercial questions."
He was Minister of Finance at a time when the offensive of General
Robert Nivelle
Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the ...
had failed and the war seemed to be in a stalemate.
He continued the policies of his predecessor Alexandre Ribot, who had been promoted to president of the council.
Thierry strengthened controls of foods, particularly wheat and sugar, made insurance against marine war risks compulsory, increased the salaries of civil servants due to the high cost of living, and prepared for the introduction of exchange controls.
Thierry accompanied
Étienne Clémentel
Étienne Clémentel (11 January 1864 – 25 December 1936) was a French politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1900 to 1919 and as French Senator from 1920 to 1936. He also served as Minister of Colonies from 2 ...
, Minister of Commerce, to the London Conference, where France negotiated an easing of prohibitions on foreign trade in the agreement of 6 July 1917.
Thierry was named in the law of 31 July 1917, which continued the fiscal reform that was caused by the introduction of income tax.
He prepared a budget for "ordinary" non-war government spending.
The top marginal income tax rate was to increase from 10% to 12.5% and then to 20%.
In addition, he introduced taxes on income from business (4.5%), agriculture (3.75%), employment (3.75%), professional fees (3.75%) and revenue from capital (4%).
He also proposed a basic sales tax of 0.1% on all transactions, both wholesale and retail.
In addition, there would be retail taxes of 5% on non-essential goods and 10% on luxury goods.
By decree of 6 September 1917 Thierry created a supervisory committee for colonial banks.
Later career
After leaving the government Thierry was appointed temporary Ambassador to Spain in place of
Léon Geoffray
Léon Marcel Isidore Geoffray (1852–1927) was a French diplomat and was later Ambassador to Madrid.
Biography
Léon Marcel Geoffray Isidore was born in Passy on 1 October 1852 to Pierre-Joseph Geoffray (1804-1886), and Juliette (called Julie) W ...
, where he convinced the Spanish government to take a position of benevolent neutrality. Joseph Thierry died of a heart attack on 22 September 1918 in
San Sebastián
San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...
, Spain.
His son, Adrien-Joseph Thierry (born 4 January 1884), was a lawyer who married Nadine de Rothschild, daughter of baron
Henri de Rothschild
Henri James Nathaniel Charles, Baron de Rothschild (26 July 1872 – 12 October 1947) was a French playwright who wrote under the pen names André Pascal, Charles des Fontaines, and P.-L. Naveau. He was also qualified as a physician (although he ...
.
Adrien-Joseph Thierry became first secretary of the French embassy in London.
Selected publications
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Notes
Sources
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thierry, Joseph Marie Philippe
1857 births
1918 deaths
People from Haguenau
Politicians from Grand Est
Republican Federation politicians
Democratic Republican Alliance politicians
French Ministers of Public Works
French Ministers of Finance
Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 8th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 10th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 11th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic