Frédéric-Christophe, Comte d'Houdetot (16 May 1778 – 20 January 1859) was a French politician, member of the Chamber of Peers, and artist.

Biography

He was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He was the son of General , and his first wife, Louise Perrinet de Faugnes, who died in 1781 at the age of twenty-three. His father was serving overseas, so he was raised by his grandmother,

Sophie d'Houdetot Elisabeth Françoise Sophie Lalive de Bellegarde, Comtesse d'Houdetot (18 December 1730 – 28 January 1813) was a French noblewoman. She is remembered primarily for the brief but intense love she inspired in Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1757, but sh ...

, known for her brief affair with

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

. He was conscripted in 1798, and spent some time as a

cannoneer "Cannoneer" as a term for an artilleryman dates from the 16th century. the United States Army uses as titles for such a soldier: "13B" (thirteen bravo) M.O.S. (military occupational specialty code), a "cannon crewmember" or "cannoneer" for short ...

. After his service, he found himself attracted to art; frequenting the workshops of

Jean-Baptiste Regnault Jean-Baptiste Regnault (; 9 October 1754 – 12 November 1829) was a French painter. Biography Regnault was born in Paris, and began life at sea in a merchant vessel. At the age of fifteen his talent attracted attention, and he was sent to ...

and

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

. In 1806, he was appointed an auditor at the . After the

Battle of Jena A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, he was named head of the Prussian tax administration in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. His return to France was followed by a series of appointments; notably as

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of Escaut (1809), and Prefect of Dyle (1813). Back in Paris, after French troops had evacuated

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, he indulged his interest in painting. He was again appointed Prefect, in 1815, this time of

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

, but refused to accept the position. Later, he accepted a temporary position as Prefect of

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples and/or pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Norman distillation was ma ...

. There, he managed to protect the citizens against the demands of the Prussians, who occupied the department and threatened to send him to Germany. He was also challenged by an

Ultra-royalist The Ultra-royalists (, collectively Ultras) were a Politics of France, French political faction from 1815 to 1830 under the Bourbon Restoration in France, Bourbon Restoration. An Ultra was usually a member of the nobility of high society who str ...

faction. Eventually, he was appointed to the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

. In 1819, he was named a

Peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

. He continued to work as an artist and, in 1841, was elected to the , where he became the second person to occupy Seat #9 in the "Unattached" section. In 1849, he was chosen to represent Calvados in the legislature. Two years later, he was a supporter of the coup that turned President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte into Emperor

Napoléon III 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 ...

Sources

Adolphe Robert Adolphe Robert (17 January 1833, Melun – 23 December 1899, Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 reside ...

and Gaston Cougny, "Frédéric-Christophe d'Houdetot", in ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français'' (1789–1891), Bourloton, 1891
Online
* Vicomte J.-E. de Steins, ''Notice biographique sur M. le Cte de Houdetot (Frédéric-Christophe)'', Panthéon Biographique Universel, 1852
Online

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houdetot, Frederic Christophe d' 1778 births 1859 deaths Peers of France Prefects of Calvados (department) Members of the Académie des beaux-arts French artists People from Paris