Edme-Armand-Gaston, 1st Duke of Audiffret-Pasquier (21 October 1823, in Paris4 June 1905), known as Gaston Audiffret-Pasquier, was a French politician and member of the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, Seat 16. He was preceded in his position by Félix Dupanloup and succeeded by Alexandre Ribot.

Life

He was the grand-nephew and adopted son of Baron Etienne Denis Pasquier, an academician. He inherited the title of duke in 1844, and became auditor at the council of state in 1846. After the

revolution of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

he retired to private life. Under the Second Empire he was twice an unsuccessful candidate for the legislature, but was elected in February 1871 to the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

, and became president of the

Centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...

parliamentary group in 1873. After the fall of Thiers, Audiffret-Pasquier directed the negotiations between the different royalist parties to establish the Comte de Chambord as

King of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

, but as Chambord refused to give up the white flag of the Bourbons in favor of the tricolor, the project failed. Yet he retained the confidence of the chamber, and was its president in 1875 when the constitutional laws were being drawn up. Nominated

senator for life A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , five Italian senators out of 205, two out of the 41 Burundian senators, one Congolese senator out of 109, and all members of the Bri ...

under the new constitution, he likewise was president of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from March 1876 to 1879 when his party lost the majority. Henceforth he was less prominent in politics. Audiffret-Pasquier was distinguished by his moderation and uprightness; and he did his best to dissuade MacMahon from taking violent advisers. In 1878 he was elected to the Académie française, but never published anything.

References

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Audiffret-Pasquier, Edme Armand Gaston, duc d 1823 births 1905 deaths Politicians from Paris 1 Orléanists Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (France) Members of the National Assembly (1871) Members of Parliament for Orne Presidents of the Senate (France) French life senators Members of the Ligue de la patrie française Collège Stanislas de Paris alumni Members of the Académie Française