Joseph Mérilhou (15 October 1788 – 18 October 1856) was a French lawyer, magistrate and politician. He was Minister of Public Education and Religious Affairs, and then Minister of Justice in the Cabinet of Jacques Laffitte (2 November 1830 to 13 March 1831).

Early years

Joseph Mérilhou was born in Montignac, in the

Périgord Périgord ( , ; ; or ) is a natural region and former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne department, now forming the northern part of the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is divided into f ...

region, on 15 October 1788. He was the son of Jean Mérilhou and Madeleine Desmond. He studied the classics in

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

. He qualified as an advocate from the school of law in Paris. He became an advocate in 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 ...

, and was an assistant procurer-general in the Court of Paris 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 ...

Bourbon Restoration

After the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

Mérilhou was placed on the list of magistrates suspended from their functions, and was obliged to leave Paris for several months. After returning he rejoined the bar and took part in the struggles of the constitutional opposition. In 1817 he defended Comte and Dunoyer, editors of the ''Censeur'', against the correctional tribunal. He was one of the founders of Society of Friends of Press Freedom. Mérilhou defended the Duclos brothers at the court of assizes in Paris when they were accused of being part of the "black pin" conspiracy. He also defended Arnold Scheffer, Brissot and Feret, trying to show in each of his pleadings the need to place the institutions of France in harmony with what he thought was the spirit of the

Charter of 1814 The French Charter of 1814 was a constitutional text granted by King Louis XVIII of France shortly after the Bourbon Restoration, in the form of a royal charter. The Congress of Vienna demanded that Louis bring in a constitution of some form b ...

. On 14 July 1819 Mérilhou won the first case pleaded before a jury, that of Gossuin, editor of the ''Bibliothèque historique'', charged for having criticized the Swiss in the king's guard. As a member of a company responsible for helping the families of citizens in preventative detention, he was prosecuted for this activity. He was defended by Dupin the Elder and discharged on 23 June 1820. Mérilhou was a leader of the

Carbonari The Carbonari () was an informal network of Secret society, secret revolutionary societies active in Italy from about 1800 to 1831. The Carbonari may have further influenced other revolutionary groups in France, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Urugua ...

. He defended Bories, one of the

four Sergeants of La Rochelle The Four Sergeants of La Rochelle ( French: ''Quatre sergents de La Rochelle'') were a group of French soldiers who plotted to overthrow the French monarchy of the Bourbon Restoration. Sergeants Bories, Pommier, Gobin and Raoulx were associates o ...

, in August 1822. The Advocate General

Louis Antoine François de Marchangy Louis Antoine François de Marchangy (25 August 1782 – 2 February 1826) was a French lawyer, author and politician. He was a passionate supporter first of Napoleon and later of the Bourbons, and an impressive force in the courtroom. He was a Dep ...

alluded to him when he said in his indictment, "Here the real culprits are not those in the dock, but those on the benches of advocates." Mérilhou defended ''La Tribune de la Gironde'' in 1822 and '' Le Courrier français'' in 1825 and 1829. He supported the attacks by Montlosier against the "priests' party", and was one of the signatories to the Consultation of 1 August 1826. In 1827 he published a book about the life and works of

Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau (; 9 March 17492 April 1791) was a French writer, orator, statesman and a prominent figure of the early stages of the French Revolution. A member of the nobility, Mirabeau had been involved in numerous ...

, the great orator and supporter of a constitutional monarchy. Mérilhou was violently opposed to the

ministry of Jules de Polignac The Ministry of Jules de Polignac was formed on 8 August 1829 in the last year of the reign of King Charles X of France. It was dissolved on 29 July 1830 during the July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revo ...

and recommended refusal to pay taxes.

July Monarchy

Mérilhou played an active role in 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 ...

. It was due to his advocacy that on 28 July 1830 the Commercial Court of Paris allowed the printing of newspapers despite the ordinances. On 29 July 1830 Mérilhou was appointed to the Municipal Commission of Paris, and two days later was appointed provisional secretary-general of the ministry of Justice. He was made a Councillor of State on 20 August 1830. At the Ministry of Justice he undertook various important measures such as renewal of prosecutors and justices of the peace and abolition of the Ministry of State and the office of the seal of titles. He prepared for the vote the law of 11 October 1830 that abolished the "sacrilege" law of 1825 which punished profaners of consecrated hosts with death. On 2 November 1830 Mérilhou replaced Victor de Broglie as Minister of Public Education in the cabinet of

Jacques Laffitte Jacques Laffitte (24 October 1767 – 26 May 1844) was a leading French banker, governor of the Bank of France (1814–1820) and liberal member of the Chamber of Deputies during the Bourbon Restoration and July Monarchy. He was an important fi ...

. On 27 December he replaced

Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure (; 27 February 17673 March 1855) was a French lawyer and statesman. He is best known as the first head of state of the Second Republic, after the collapse of the July Monarchy as a result of the French Revolut ...

as Minister of Justice. He left the ministry on 13 March 1831. Mérilhou was elected deputy for four constituencies, and chose

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

. He sat in the Chamber of Deputies from 1831 to 1834. He became a member of 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 ...

in 1832. In 1837 he entered the Chamber of Peers. After the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

he lost his seat in the Court of Cassation, but was restored to this position by a decree of 10 August 1849. Mérilhou died in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

, Hauts-de-Seine, on 18 October 1856.

Works

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References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Merilhou, Joseph 1788 births 1856 deaths People from Dordogne Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine Ministers of public education and religious affairs of France Ministers of justice of France Members of the 2nd Chamber of Deputies of the July Monarchy Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy