Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Early career

Ribot was born in

Saint-Omer Saint-Omer (; vls, Sint-Omaars) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department in France. It is west-northwest of Lille on the railway to Calais, and is located in the Artois province. The town is named after Saint Audomar, ...

, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, where he was ''lauréat'' of the faculty of law, he rapidly made his mark at the bar. He was secretary of the conference of advocates and one of the founders of the ''Sociéte de legislation comparée''. During 1875 and 1876 he was successively director of criminal affairs and secretary-general at the ministry of justice.

Representative

In 1877 he entered politics, playing a conspicuous part on the committee of legal resistance during the Brogue ministry; in the following year he was returned to the chamber as a moderate republican member for

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

, in his native ''département'' of

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

. His impassioned yet reasoned eloquence gave him an influence which was increased by his articles in the ''Parlement'' in which he opposed violent measures against the unauthorized congregations. He devoted himself especially to financial questions, and in 1882 was reporter of the budget. He became one of the most prominent republican opponents of the Radical party, distinguishing himself by his attacks on the short-lived Gambetta ministry. He refused to vote the credits demanded by the

Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

cabinet for the

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includ ...

expedition, and helped

Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...

overthrow the ministry in 1885. At the general election of that year he was a victim of the Republican rout in the Pas-de-Calais, and did not re-enter the chamber till 1887.

Cabinet member

After 1889 he sat for Saint-Omer. His fear of the

Boulangist 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 ...

movement converted him to the policy of "Republican Concentration," and he entered office in 1890 as

foreign minister 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 cou ...

in the Freycinet cabinet. He had an intimate acquaintance and sympathy with English' institutions,' and two of his published works – an address, ''Biographie de Lord Erskine'' (1866), and ''Etude sur l'acte du 5 avril 1873 pour l'etablissement d'une cour supreme de justice en Angleterre'' (1874) – deal with English law; he also gave a fresh and highly important direction to French policy by the understanding with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, which was declared to the world by the visit of the French fleet to

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...

in 1891, and which subsequently ripened into a formal treaty of alliance. He retained his post in

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 ...

's ministry (February–November 1892), and on its defeat he became president of the council (prime minister), retaining the direction of foreign affairs. The government resigned in March 1893 over the refusal of the chamber to accept the Senate's amendments to the budget. On the election of

Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was the President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for ...

as president of the Republic in January 1895, Ribot again became premier and minister of finance. On 10 June he was able to make the first official announcement of a definite alliance with Russia. On 30 October the government was defeated on the question of the ''

Chemin de fer du Sud Chemin or Le Chemin may refer to: Arts and media * ''Le chemin'' (Emmanuel Moire album), 2013 album by French singer Emmanuel Moire * ''Le chemin'' (Kyo album), 2003 album by French band Kyo ** "Le Chemin" (song), title song from same-titled Kyo ...

'', and resigned office. The real reason of its fall was the mismanagement of the

Second Madagascar expedition The Second Madagascar expedition was a French military intervention which took place in 1894–95, sealing the conquest of the Merina Kingdom on the island of Madagascar by France. It was the last phase of the Franco-Hova War and followed the F ...

, the cost of which in men and money exceeded all expectations, and the alarming social conditions at home, as indicated by the strike at

Carmaux Carmaux (; oc, Carmauç) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. Industries The Compagnie minière de Carmaux has its origins in a coal mining concession granted in 1852 to Gabriel de Solages, which became the Compagnie min ...

. After the fall of

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 1 ...

's ministry in 1898 M. Ribot tried in vain to form a cabinet of "conciliation." He was elected, at the end of 1898, president of the important commission on education, in which he advocated the adoption of a modern system of education. The policy of the

Waldeck-Rousseau Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France. Early life Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René W ...

ministry on the religious teaching congregations broke up the Republican party, and Ribot was among the seceders; but at the general election of 1902, though he himself secured re-election, his policy suffered a severe check. He actively opposed the policy of the Combes ministry and denounced the alliance with Jean Léon Jaurès, and on 13 January 1905 he was one of the leaders of the opposition which brought about the fall of the cabinet. Although he had been most violent in denouncing the anti-clerical policy of the Combes cabinet, he now announced his willingness to recognize a new régime to replace the

Concordat of 1801 The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris. It remained in effect until 1905, except in Alsace-Lorraine, where it remains in force. It sought national reconciliation b ...

, and gave the government his support in the establishment of the ''Associations culturelles'', while he secured some mitigation of the seventies attending the separation. He was re-elected deputy for Saint-Omer in 1906. In the same year 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 ...

in succession to the duc d'Audiffret-Pasquier; he was already a member of the Academy of Moral and Political Science. In justification of his policy in opposition he published in 1905 two volumes of his ''Discours politiques''. On 3 January 1909, Ribot was elected a member of the

French Senate The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly (France), National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 34 ...

, and in February of the following year was offered, but refused, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the Monis cabinet. After the formation of the Poincaré Government on 14 January 1912, Ribot took the place 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 ...

as president of the committee appointed to deal with the Franco-German treaty, the necessity for the ratification of which he demonstrated. In 1913 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the Republic, and on the fall of Barthou's Government was invited by Poincaré, who was now President, to form a Cabinet, but refused. In 1914 he became, with Jean Dupuy, leader of the Left Republican group which refused to accept the decisions of the Radical Socialist congress at Pau in October 1913.

First Premiership

On 9 June 1914, Ribot became Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, but his Government was bitterly assailed by the Radical Socialists as well as other groups, and only lasted one day.

World War I

With the outbreak of

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 ...

Ribot's great reputation as an expert in finance and foreign affairs brought him effectively into office. On 27 August 1914 he became Minister of Finance in Viviani's Ministry of National Defence, an office which he retained when, on 28 October 1915,

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 ...

succeeded Viviani as Prime Minister. On 7 February 1916 he visited London and held a conference with the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the Treasury. When Briand reconstituted his Cabinet, in December 1916, Ribot retained the portfolio of Finance. On the fall of the Briand Ministry, President Poincaré again called upon Ribot to form a government, and this time he consented, himself taking the portfolio of Foreign Affairs in addition to the premiership (19 March). In the statement of his policy made to the Chamber on 21 March he declared this to be "to recover the provinces torn from us in the past, to obtain the reparations and guarantees due to France, and to prepare a durable peace based on respect for the rights and liberty of peoples." On 31 July, in a reply to the German Chancellor

Georg Michaelis Georg Michaelis (8 September 1857 – 24 July 1936) was the chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first (and the only one of the German Empire) chancellor not of noble birth to hold the office. With an economic ba ...

, he admitted that in 1917 an agreement had been made with Tsar Nicholas to erect the German territories on the left bank of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

into an autonomous state, but denied that there had been any question of their annexation to France.

End of political career

Ribot's final ministry was during the most dismal part of the First World War, seeing the failure of the

Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War which was named after General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French metropolitan armies, who led the offensi ...

and the famous mutiny of the French soldiers which followed. Following the decision to dismiss Interior Minister

Louis Malvy Louis-Jean Malvy (1 December 1875 – 10 June 1949) was the Interior Minister of France in 1914. Biography Louis-Jean Malvy was born on 1 December 1875 in Figeac. Career Malvy was a member of the Radical Party and served in the Chamber of Depu ...

, his government resigned office on 2 September, but he accepted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Painlevé cabinet constituted six days later. He resigned office finally on 16 October, owing to the violent criticism of his refusal to fall into the "trap" of the German peace offers. Ribot left politics, and died in Paris on 13 January 1923 at the age of 80. The main grammar school (lycée) in Saint-Omer, the

Lycée Alexandre Ribot The Lycée Alexandre Ribot is a school located at 42 rue Gambetta, in the town of Saint-Omer ( Pas-de-Calais ''département),'' France. Founded as a Walloon Jesuit college in 1565 (the English College was founded nearby by English Jesuits in 1593 ...

, bears his name today.

Ribot's 1st Ministry, 6 December 189211 January 1893

*Alexandre Ribot – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Charles de Freycinet Charles Louis de Saulces de Freycinet (; 14 November 1828 – 14 May 1923) was a French statesman and four times Prime Minister during the Third Republic. He also served an important term as Minister of War (1888–1893). He belonged to the Opp ...

– Minister of War *

– Minister of the Interior *

Maurice Rouvier Maurice Rouvier (; 17 April 1842 – 7 June 1911) was a French statesman of the "Opportunist" faction, who served as the Prime Minister of France. He is best known for his financial policies and his unpopular policies designed to avoid a ruptur ...

– Minister of Finance *

– Minister of Justice * Auguste Bourdeau – Minister of Marine and Colonies * Charles Dupuy – Minister of Public Instruction, Fine Arts, and Worship *

Jules Develle Jules Develle (12 April 1845 – 30 October 1919) was a French politician. Biography He was born in Bar-le-Duc to Claude Charles Develle, an insurance agent, and Anne Marguerite Rousselot. He studied law and became a lawyer. He discovered his pa ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Jules Viette Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of: People with the name *Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer * Jules Abadie (1876–19 ...

– Minister of Public Works *

Jules Siegfried Jules Siegfried (12 February 1837 – 26 September 1922) was a French politician. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1885 to 1897, and from 1902 to 1922. Siegfried was active in the social Protestant movement, as were other ...

– Minister of Commerce and Industry Changes *13 December 1892 –

Pierre Tirard Pierre Emmanuel Tirard (; 27 September 1827 – 4 November 1893) was a French politician. Biography He was born to French parents in Geneva, Switzerland. After studying in his native town, Tirard became a civil engineer. After five years of go ...

succeeds Rouvier as Minister of Finance.

Ribot's 2nd Ministry, 11 January 18934 April 1893

*Alexandre Ribot – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior *

– Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Jules Léon Loizillon Jules is the French form of the Latin "Julius" (e.g. Jules César, the French name for Julius Caesar). It is the given name of: People with the name *Jules Aarons (1921–2008), American space physicist and photographer *Jules Abadie (1876–195 ...

– Minister of War *

– Minister of Finance *

– Minister of Justice *

Adrien Barthélemy Louis Henri Rieunier Henri, Adrien, Barthélemy, Louis Rieunier (6 March 1833, Castelsarrasin Castelsarrasin (; oc, Los Sarrasins) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in Occitanie region of France. The inhabitants are called ''Castelsarrasinois''. I ...

– Minister of Marine * Charles Dupuy – Minister of Public Instruction, Fine Arts, and Worship *

Albert Viger Albert Viger (19 October 1843 – 8 July 1926) was a French politician of the Third French Republic. He served three times as minister of agriculture in the governments of Alexandre Ribot, Charles Dupuy, Jean Casimir-Perier, Léon Bourgeois and H ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

– Minister of Commerce, Industry, and the Colonies

Ribot's 3rd Ministry, 26 January 18951 November 1895

*Alexandre Ribot – President of the Council and Minister of Finance * Gabriel Hanotaux – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Émile Zurlinden Émile Auguste François Thomas Zurlinden (3 November 1837 in Colmar, Haut-Rhin – 9 March 1929) was French Minister of War between 28 January 1895 and 1 November 1895 and again between 5 September 1898 and 17 September 1898 when he succeeded ...

– Minister of War * Georges Leygues – Minister of the Interior *

Ludovic Trarieux Jacques Ludovic Trarieux (30 November 1840 in Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, Charente – 13 March 1904) was a French Republican statesman, lawyer, prominent Dreyfusard, and pioneer of international human rights. Early life Ludovic Trarieux was born on ...

– Minister of Justice *

Armand Louis Charles Gustave Besnard Gustave Besnard (11 October 1833, Rambouillet – 15 July 1903, Château du Rohu near Lorient) was a French admiral and '' Ministre de la Marine''. Biography From the time he joined the French Navy as a cadet at the ''École Navale'' in 1849, ...

– Minister of Marine *

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

– Minister of Public Instruction, Fine Arts, and Worship *

Antoine Gadaud Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Émile Chautemps – Minister of Colonies * Ludovic Dupuy-Dutemps – Minister of Public Works *

André Lebon André Lebon (26 August 1858 – 17 February 1938) was a French lawyer and politician. Early years André Lebon was born on 26 August 1858 in Dieppe, Seine-Inférieure. His father was Charles Lebon, founder of the Société du Gaz Lebon. After c ...

– Minister of Posts and Telegraphs and Minister of Commerce and Industry

Ribot's 4th Ministry, 9 June 191413 June 1914

*Alexandre Ribot – President of the Council and Minister of Justice *

– Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Théophile Delcassé Théophile Delcassé (1 March 185222 February 1923) was a French politician who served as foreign minister from 1898 to 1905. He is best known for his hatred of Germany and efforts to secure alliances with Russia and Great Britain that became t ...

– Minister of War * Paul Peytral – Minister of the Interior *

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 Finance * Jean-Baptiste Abel – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions * Émile Chautemps – Minister of Marine * Arthur Dessoye – Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Adrien Dariac Adrien is a given name and surname, and the French spelling for the name Adrian. It is also the masculine form of the feminine name Adrienne. It may refer to: People Given name * Adrien Auzout (1622–1691), French astronomer * Adrien Baillet ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Maurice Maunoury Maurice Maunoury was a French politician born 16 October 1863 in Alexandria (Egypt) and died 16 May 1925 in Paris *Député for Eure-et-Loir Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers. It is locat ...

– Minister of Colonies * Jean Dupuy – Minister of Public Works *

Marc Réville Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

– Minister of Posts and Telegraphs and Minister of Commerce and Industry

Ribot's 5th Ministry, 20 March 191712 September 1917

*Alexandre Ribot – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Paul Painlevé Paul Painlevé (; 5 December 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French mathematician and statesman. He served twice as Prime Minister of the Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 April – 22 November 1925. His entry into politic ...

– Minister of War *

– Minister of the Interior *

Joseph Thierry Joseph Marie Philippe Thierry (2 March 1857 – 22 September 1918) was a French lawyer and politician. He was deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône from 1898 to 1918. He was Minister of Public Works in 1913 and Minister of Finance in 1917. As Minister of F ...

– Minister of Finance * Albert Thomas – Minister of Armaments and War Manufacturing *

– Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions *

René Viviani Jean Raphaël Adrien René Viviani (; 8 November 18637 September 1925) was a French politician of the Third Republic, who served as Prime Minister for the first year of World War I. He was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in French Algeria. In France ...

– Minister of Justice * Lucien Lacaze – Minister of Marine *

Théodore Steeg Théodore Steeg () (19 December 1868 – 19 December 1950) was a lawyer and professor of philosophy who became Premier of the French Third Republic. Steeg entered French politics in 1904 as a radical socialist, although his views were generally m ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Fernand David Fernand David (18 October 1869, Annemasse, Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, b ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Maurice Viollette Maurice Viollette (3 September 1870 in Janville, Eure-et-Loir – 9 September 1960 in Dreux) was a French statesman. He was chief-of-staff for Alexandre Millerand in the Waldeck-Rousseau government in 1898, and was elected as a '' député' ...

– Minister of General Supply and Maritime Transports *

André Maginot André Maginot (; 17 February 1877 – 7 January 1932) was a French civil servant, soldier, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his advocacy of the string of forts known as the Maginot Line. Early years, to World War I Maginot was ...

– Minister of Colonies * Georges Desplas – Minister of Public Works and Transport *

– Minister of Posts and Telegraphs and Minister of Commerce and Industry * Changes *4 July 1917 – The office of Minister of Maritime Transports is abolished. Maurice Viollette remains Minister of General Supply. *10 August 1917 – Charles Chaumet succeeds Lacaze as Minister of Marine. *1 September 1917 –

succeeds Malvy as Minister of the Interior

References

External links

Early career

Representative

Cabinet member

First Premiership

World War I

End of political career

Ribot's 1st Ministry, 6 December 189211 January 1893

Ribot's 2nd Ministry, 11 January 18934 April 1893

Ribot's 3rd Ministry, 26 January 18951 November 1895

Ribot's 4th Ministry, 9 June 191413 June 1914

Ribot's 5th Ministry, 20 March 191712 September 1917

References

Further reading

External links