Louis Gaspard Amédée, baron Girod de l'Ain (18 October 1781 – 27 December 1847) was a French lawyer and politician who became Minister of Public Education and Religious Affairs in 1832.
Early years
Louis Gaspard Amédée baron Girod de l'Ain was born in
Gex, Ain
Gex (; ; ) is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France and a subprefecture of the department.
It lies from the Swiss border and from Geneva. It is a subprefecture of Ain.
History
The town gave its name to the '' Pays de Gex'', at ...
, on 18 October 1781.
His father was Baron Jean-Louis Girod (1753-1839).
His father had been appointed mayor of Gex in 1780 by
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
.
His mother was dame Louise-Claudine-Armande Fabry.
He was the oldest of four sons.
Amédée Girod de l'Ain studied law, and pleaded his first case at the age of seventeen in the
Court of Cassation
A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
.
He practiced as a lawyer until 1806, when he was appointed deputy imperial prosecutor in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
.
In 1807 he became imperial prosecutor in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
.
In 1809 he was made Attorney General to the
Court of Appeal
An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
of Lyon, and in 1810 the auditor of the Council of State.
He was appointed advocate-general at the imperial court of Paris in 1811, and held this position when the
First French Empire
The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...
collapsed in 1814.
Girod de l'Ain was among those whose defection hastened the fall of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
.
He quickly recognized the House of Bourbon and was able to retain his office during the first Bourbon Restoration.
However, when Napoleon returned during the
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days ( ), 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 of King Louis XVIII o ...
of 1815, he accepted the position of President of the Court of First Instance of the Seine.
He was elected on 14 May 1815 to represent the arrondissement of Gex in the Chamber of Deputies, and was a zealous supporter of the imperial cause.
Around this time he married Mlle Sivard de Beaulieu, grandniece of the prince Lebrun, Duke of Plaisance.
Bourbon Restoration
After the second Bourbon Restoration in 1815 Amédée Girod de l'Ain was excluded from the judiciary. He temporarily returned to private life.
He gave asylum in his house to General
Antoine Drouot
General Antoine Drouot, Comte Drout (11 January 1774 – 24 March 1847) was a French officer who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Drouot is one of a select group who were present at both the Battl ...
, and undertook the general's defense before the council of war.
On 6 April 1816 the general was acquitted by a simple majority of four votes out of seven.
Girod de l'Ain was restored to the judiciary and became a counselor at the court of Paris in 1819.
In that position he was a member of a commission to prepare a proposed law for jury trials.
He presided in turn over the courts of Seine and of Versailles.
On 17 November 1827 Girod de l'Ain was elected Deputy for the second district of
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.Jean-Baptiste de Martignac.
He was reelected on 12 July 1830.
July Monarchy
Amédée Girod de l'Ain was in Paris at the time of the
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...
, and strongly supported the assumption of power by
Louis Philippe I
Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
.
He was made Prefect of Police on 1 August 1830.
On 21 October 1830 he was reelected as a deputy.
He tried to ban meetings of the Society of Friends of the People and other political associations, but was not seen as strong enough by the government and in November 1830 was replaced as head of the police by Achille Libéral Treilhard.
He then joined the Council of State. He was awarded the cross of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...
at this time.
Girod de l'Ain was reelected on 5 July 1831. On 1 August 1831 he was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies with the support of
Casimir Pierre Périer
Casimir-Pierre Périer (11 October 1777 16 May 1832) was a French banker, mine owner, political leader and statesman. In business, through his bank in Paris and ownership of the Anzin Coal Co. in the Department of Nord, he contributed signifi ...
.
He was Minister of Public Education and Religious Affairs from 30 April 1832 to 11 October 1832.
He did little while in office, and was seen as Périer's passive tool.
On 11 October 1832 Girod de l'Ain was made a peer of France and was appointed President of the Council of State.
He held this position until his death apart from a short interruption in May 1839 when he was Minister of Justice and Guardian of the Seals in the Interim Cabinet. He was active in the upper house, and was the author of a controversial report on the attempted insurgency of April 1834. In this he attacked the popular societies, and in particular the Société des Droits de l'Homme, and tried to show that there had been a grand conspiracy throughout France.
Amédée Girod de l'Ain died on 27 December 1847 in Paris, aged 66.
The Baron Girod de l’Ain is a hybrid perpetual rose developed by Reverchon in 1897. The fragrant blossoms are crimson edged in white.