Eugène Corbin (1800–1874) was a French

procureur général In France, a procureur général is a prosecutor at a court of appeal (cour d'appel), at the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) or the Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a supreme audit institution, i.e. a government inst ...

(prosecutor-general) and politician. During the

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

(1848–1851) he helped suppress opposition to the government headed by

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. He was appointed Minister of Justice during the preparations for the coup of 2 December 1851, but did not accept the office and was replaced a few days later. He was first president of the

Bourges Bourges ( ; ; ''Borges'' in Berrichon) is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre. It is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Cher (department), Cher, and also was the capital city of the former provin ...

court of appeal from 1852 until 1870.

Early years

Eugène Corbin was born in 1800 to one of the leading families of Bourges. He married Victorine Boin, daughter of Antoine-Victor Boin, a doctor who was deputy for the department of

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

from 1815 to 1827. Eugène Corbin was appointed substitut (deputy) procureur-général at the royal court of

in August 1830. He also worked for the court at

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

. He was known for his ability as a speaker.

Second Republic

During the

, Corbin ran unsuccessfully as a conservative candidate in the May 1849 national elections. He blamed his defeat on "red" candidates who claimed to be the true representatives of the people and promised to tax the rich and give the money to the poor. After the attempted insurrection of 13 June 1849 Corbin persecuted the opponents of Louis Napoleon in the departments of Cher,

Indre Indre (); is a department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administrative region of Cent ...

and

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.montagnardes" who spread the ideas of a social and democratic republic were relatively well-educated men, with professional status, the best example being

Félix Pyat Félix Pyat (4 October 1810 – 3 August 1889) was a French socialist journalist, playwright, politician and a leading figure of the Paris Commune. Biography He was born in Vierzon (Cher), to an upper middle-class family. His father had been a p ...

, a lyrical and admired orator. More typically they were letter carriers, railway officials, teachers and minor officials. Corbin became procureur-général at

on 3 November 1849. On 19 November 1850 Corbin asked the legislative assembly for authority to pursue two of its members. In December 1850 Corbin talked of an "Amelioration de l'esprit public" (improvement in public feeling). However, tensions mounted and early in September 1851 he launched a huge hunt against the Republicans. In justifying his actions Corbin spoke of revolutionaries who exploited working class poverty and the plight of farmers. He described secret initiation ceremonies with solemn oaths and raised the specter of a return to the anarchy and violence of the first French Revolution. In the autumn of 1851 two military commissions arrested 1,200 people in the Cher department, of whom 857 were given sentences that ranged from being placed under surveillance to deportation. Corbin was appointed Minister of Justice on 26 October 1851 by

Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. He was to replace

Eugène Rouher Eugène Rouher (30 November 18143 February 1884) was a French statesman of the Second Empire. He was born at Riom (Puy-de-Dôme), where he practised law after taking his degree in Paris in 1835. In 1846 he sought election to the Chamber of ...

, whose resignation had been accepted.

Charles Giraud Charles Joseph Barthélémy Giraud (20 February 1802 – 13 July 1881) was a French lawyer and politician. He was twice Minister of Education during the French Second Republic. Early years Charles Joseph Barthélémy Giraud was born on 20 Febru ...

, Minister of Education and Religious Affairs, was named interim minister of justice in Corbin's absence. Corbin did not accept the appointment. On 1 November 1851

Alfred Daviel Alfred Daviel (12 June 1800 – 3 March 1856) was a French lawyer and politician who was appointed Minister of Justice in the last cabinet of the French Second Republic. Early years Alfred Daviel came from a respected Norman bourgeois family. He ...

was made keeper of the seals and minister of justice.

Later career

Corbin retained his position at the court of Bourges. He addressed the court at an opening ceremony on 3 November 1851. Corbin replaced Claude Denis Mater as first president of the Bourges Court of Appeals in 1852. He held office until 1870, when he was succeeded by Louis Baudouin. During the

Franco-Prussian War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...

(19 July 1870 – 10 May 1871), on 20 September 1870 he addressed the National Assembly on the emergency situation. Eugène Corbin was awarded the rank of commander of the

Legion of Honour 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. He died in 1874.

References

Sources

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