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Louis Pierre Hippolyte Ricard (17 March 1839 – 2 March 1921) was a wealthy French lawyer and liberal politician. He was Minister of Justice in 1892 and again in 1895–96. He is best known for steering through the 1898 law on workplace accidents.


Early years (1839–85)

Louis Pierre Hippolyte Ricard was born on 17 March 1839 in Caen,
Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...
. His father was Paul Urban Ricard, a Caen hosiery manufacturer, and his mother was Marie-Caroline Rossignol. He grew up in a comfortable and rather conservative Catholic home. He studied law in Paris and joined the bar of Rouen in 1861. He became well known in the Rouen Court of Appeal. In 1864, Ricard married Annette Gratienne Lesueur, a Protestant, daughter of a cotton manufacturer and niece of a major manufacturer of chemical products. They had one son. His wife brought him a large dowry, and also introduced him to what were then advanced political and social views. He became an anti-clerical Republican, and gradually moved towards a very liberal Protestantism. After his first wife died, he remarried to Berthe Renaud. In 1876 he moved into an opulent townhouse in Rouen. On 13 November 1881, Ricard was elected to the municipal council on the Left list, and three days later was appointed mayor. He was elected to the general council of the department in 1882 for the fourth canton of Rouen. In April 1882, he was the first mayor of Rouen to be elected by the members of the council. He was a moderate Republican who later moved toward radicalism. During his term of office there were significant improvements in social and medical services in the city. A school for young girls was founded and the Theater of the Arts was rebuilt after a fire.


National politics (1886–1902)

In the general elections of 4 October 1885 Ricard was elected deputy on the Republican list for the Seine-Inférieure. He resigned his municipal offices on 8 January 1886 when he entered the Chamber. He was succeeded as mayor of Rouen in 1886 by Maurice Lebon. Ricard sat with the Progressive Republican Left. Ricard did not run in the general election of 1889, but when the deputy for the first district of Rouen died he ran in the by-election of 1 December 1889 and won in the first round. He was reelected in the first round for the same constituency on 20 August 1893 and 8 May 1898. Ricard sat with the Progressive Republican Left in the Chamber. Ricard became Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs when the cabinet of
Émile Loubet Émile François Loubet (; 30 December 183820 December 1929) was the 45th Prime Minister of France from February to December 1892 and later President of France from 1899 to 1906. Trained in law, he became mayor of Montélimar, where he was not ...
was formed on 29 February 1892, and held office until 6 December 1892. He was again
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
in the cabinet of
Léon Bourgeois Léon Victor Auguste Bourgeois (; 21 May 185129 September 1925) was a French statesman. His ideas influenced the Radical Party regarding a wide range of issues. He promoted progressive taxation such as progressive income taxes and social insuran ...
from 1 November 1895 to 29 April 1896. He is best known as principal rapporteur of the law on workplace accidents on 1898. In 1900 he became a member of the Higher Council on Labor, and chaired the committee on industrial employment of women and children. He unexpectedly lost the legislative election of 27 April 1902.


Last years (1902–21)

After his electoral defeat Ricard retired from politics and returned to his career as an attorney. He was made an officer of the Legion of Honor in 1903 by General André. 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), in 1916 Ricard chaired the committee on regulating military construction companies. He died on 2 March 1921 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, aged 81.


Publications

Ricard published various legislative proposals and committee reports. Other publications include: * *


Notes


Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricard, Louis Pierre 1839 births 1921 deaths Politicians from Caen French republicans French Ministers of Justice 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 Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic