Jules François Simon (; 31 December 1814
– 8 June 1896) was a French statesman and philosopher, and one of the leaders of the
Moderate Republicans in the
Third French Republic
The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 194 ...
.
Biography
Simon was born at
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
. His father was a linen-draper from
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of G ...
, who renounced Protestantism before his second marriage with a Catholic
Breton. Jules Simon was the son of this second marriage. The family name was Suisse, which Simon dropped in favour of his third forename. By considerable sacrifice he was enabled to attend a seminary at
Vannes
Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.
History Celtic Era
The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who liv ...
, and worked briefly as usher in a school before, in 1833, he became a student at the
École Normale Supérieure
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education sca ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. There he came in contact with
Victor Cousin, who sent him to
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...]
to teach philosophy. He helped Cousin, without receiving any recognition, in his translations from
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institutio ...
and
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical Greece, Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatet ...
, and in 1839 became his deputy in the chair of philosophy at the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...
, with the meagre salary of 83 francs per month. He also lectured on the
history of philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
at the École Normale Supérieure.
At this period he edited the works of
Nicolas Malebranche
Nicolas Malebranche ( , ; 6 August 1638 – 13 October 1715) was a French Oratorian Catholic priest and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the ...
(2 vols, 1842), of
René Descartes
René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Mathe ...
(1842),
Bossuet Bossuet is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet (1627–1704), French bishop and theologian, uncle of Louis
* Louis Bossuet (1663–1742), French parliamentarian, nephew of Jacques-Bénigne
See als ...
(1842) and of
Antoine Arnauld
Antoine Arnauld (6 February 16128 August 1694) was a French Catholic theologian, philosopher and mathematician. He was one of the leading intellectuals of the Jansenist group of Port-Royal and had a very thorough knowledge of patristics. Cont ...
(1843), and in 1844–1845 appeared the two volumes of his ''Histoire de l'école d'Alexandrie''. He became a regular contributor to the ''
Revue des deux mondes'', and in 1847, with
Amédée Jacques and
Émile Saisset, founded the ''Liberté de penser'', with the intention of throwing off the yoke of Cousin, but he retired when Jacques allowed the insertion of an article advocating the principles of collectivism, with which he was at no time in sympathy.
Political career from 1848 to 1871
In 1848 he represented the Côtes-du-Nord in the National Assembly, and next year entered the
Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
, but was retired on account of his republican opinions. His refusal to take the oath of allegiance to the government of
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 ...
after the ''coup d'état'' was followed by his dismissal from his professorship, and he devoted himself to philosophical and political writings of a popular order. ''Le Devoir'' (1853), which was translated into modern Greek and Swedish, was followed by ''La Religion naturelle'' (1856, Eng. trans., 1887), ''La Liberté de conscience'' (1857), ''La Liberté politique'' (1859), ''La Liberté civile'' (1859), ''L'Ouvrière'' (1861), ''L'Ecole'' (1864), ''Le Travail'' (1866), ''L'Ouvrier de huit ans'' (1867) and others.
In 1863 he was returned to the ''Corps Législatif'' for the 8th circonscription of the
Seine
The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plate ...
''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety- ...
'', and supported "les Cinq" in their opposition to the government. He became minister of instruction in the
Government of National Defense on 5 September 1870. After the capitulation of Paris in January 1871 he was sent down to
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 prefecture ...
to prevent the resistance of
Léon Gambetta to the peace. But at Bordeaux, Gambetta, who had issued a proclamation excluding from the elections those who had been officials under the Empire, was all-powerful. Pretending to dispute Jules Simon's credentials, he issued orders for his arrest. Meanwhile, Simon had found means of communication with Paris, and on 6 February was reinforced by
Eugène Pelletan,
E. Arago and
Garnier-Pages. Gambetta resigned, and the ministry of the Interior, though nominally given to Arago, was really in Simon's hands.
Third Republic
Defeated in the département of the Seine, he sat for the
Marne in the National Assembly, and resumed the portfolio of Education in the first cabinet of
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 ...
's presidency. He advocated free primary education yet sought to conciliate the clergy by all the means in his power; but no concessions removed the hostility of
Dupanloup, who presided over the commission appointed to consider his draft of an elementary education bill. The reforms he was actually able to carry out were concerned with secondary education. He encouraged the study of living languages, and limited the attention given to the making of
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
verse; he also encouraged independent methods at the École Normale, and set up a school at Rome where members of the French school of
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
should spend some time.
He retained office until a week before the fall of in 1873. He was regarded by the monarchical right as one of the most dangerous obstacles in the way of a restoration, which he did as much as any man (except perhaps the
comte de Chambord himself) to prevent, but by the extreme left he was distrusted for his moderate views, and Gambetta never forgave his victory at Bordeaux. In 1875, he became a member of the
Académie Française
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
and a
life senator
A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , six Italian senators out of 206, two out of the 41 Burundian senators, one Congolese senator out of 109, and all members of the Bri ...
, and in 1876, on the resignation of
Jules Dufaure, was summoned to form a cabinet. He replaced anti-republican functionaries in the civil service by republicans, and held his own until 3 May 1877, when he adopted a motion carried by a large majority in the Chamber inviting the cabinet to use all means for the repression of clerical agitation.
His clerical enemies then induced
Marshal MacMahon
Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1 ...
to take advantage of a vote on the press law carried in Jules Simon's absence from the Chamber to write him a letter regretting that he no longer preserved his influence in the Chamber, and thus practically demanding his resignation. His resignation in response to this act of the president, known as the "
Seize Mai", which he might have resisted by an appeal to the Chamber, proved his ruin, and he never again held office. He justified his action by his fear of providing an opportunity for a ''coup d'état'' on the part of the Marshal. However, the May 1877 crisis eventually ended in MacMahon's demise and in the victory of the Republicans over the monarchist
Orleanists and
Legitimist
The Legitimists (french: Légitimistes) are royalists who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession to the French crown of the descendants of the eldest branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They re ...
s.
The rejection (1880) of article 7 of
Ferry's Education Act, by which the profession of teaching would have been forbidden to members of non-authorized congregations, was due to his intervention. He was in fact one of the chief of the left centre
Opportunist Republicans faction, opposed in the same faction to
Jules Grévy and also to the
Radical Gambetta. He was director of ''
Le Gaulois'' from 1879 to 1881, and his influence in the country among moderate republicans was retained by his articles in ''
Le Matin'' from 1882 onwards, in the ''
Journal des Débats'', which he joined in 1886, and in ''
Le Temps
''Le Temps'' (literally "The Time") is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Berliner format in Geneva by Le Temps SA. It is the sole nationwide French-language non-specialised daily newspaper of Switzerland. Since 2021, it has ...
'' from 1890.
Works
His own accounts of some of the events in which he had been involved appear in ''Souvenirs du 4 septembre'' (1874), ''Le Gouvernement de M. Thiers'' (2 vols., 1878), in ''Mémoires des autres'' (1889), ''Nouveaux mémoires des autres'' (1891) and ''Les Derniers mémoires des autres'' (1897), while his sketch of Victor Cousin (1887) was a further contribution to contemporary history. For his personal history, the ''Premiers mémoires'' (1900) and ''Le Soir de ma journée'' (1902), edited by his son Gustave Simon, may be supplemented by
Léon Séché
Léon Séché (3 April 1848 - 5 May 1914) was a French poet.
Biography
Léon Séché was born in Ancenis. He died in Nice.
Works
* ''Les griffes du lion'' (1871)
* ''Rose Epoudry'', Roman, 1881.
* ''La Chanson de la vie, poésies''. Couronné ...
's ''Figures bretonnes, Jules Simon, sa vie, son œuvre'' (new ed., 1898), and
Georges Picot, ''Jules Simon: notice historique'' (1897); also by many references to periodical literature and collected essays in
Hugo Paul Thieme
Hugo Paul Thieme (born Fort Wayne, Indiana, February 2, 1870; died Ann Arbor, Michigan, June 2, 1940) was an American literary critic
Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Mod ...
's ''Guide bibliographique de la littérature française de 1800 à 1906'' (1907).
Simon's Ministry, 12 December 1876 – 17 May 1877
*Jules Simon –
President of the Council and
Minister of the Interior
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
*
Louis Decazes –
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
*
Jean Auguste Berthaud –
Minister of War
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in ...
*
Léon Say
Jean-Baptiste-Léon Say (6 June 1826, Paris – 21 April 1896, Paris) was a French statesman and diplomat.
One of the 19th-century's noted economists, he served as French Finance Minister from 1872 until 1883.
Biography
The Say family is a mos ...
–
Minister of Finance
*
Louis Martel –
Minister of Justice and Worship
*
Martin Fourichon –
Minister of Marine and Colonies
One of France's Secretaries of State under the Ancien Régime was entrusted with control of the French Navy (Secretary of State of the Navy (France).) In 1791, this title was changed to Minister of the Navy. Before January 1893, this position also ...
*
William Henry Waddington –
Minister of Public Instruction
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
*
Albert Christophle
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
– Minister of Public Works
*
Pierre Teisserenc de Bort
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
– Minister of Agriculture and Commerce
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Jules
1814 births
1896 deaths
Politicians from Lorient
Politicians of the French Third Republic
French life senators
Members of the Académie Française
École Normale Supérieure alumni
French interior ministers