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 Remiremont (; german: Romberg or ) is a town and commune in the Vosges department, northeastern France, situated in southern Grand Est. The town has been an abbatial centre since the 7th century, is an economic crossroads of the Moselle and Mos ...

. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 1879 he was for a short time Under-Secretary to the Minister of the Interior. In 1880 he came to the front as the leading spokesman of the party which favoured the protection of French industries, and he had a considerable share in fashioning the protectionist legislation of the years 1890–1902. From 1883 to 1885 Méline was Minister for Agriculture, and in 1888–1889 he was President of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1896 he became Premier (''Président du Conseil'') and Minister for Agriculture, offices which he vacated in 1898. At one time he edited '' La République francaise'', and after his retirement from public life he wrote ''Le Retour de la terre et Ia surproduction industrielle, tout en faveur de l'agriculture'' (1905). The introduction of French protectionist measure of 1892 is named after him, the

Méline tariff The Méline tariff was a French protectionist measure introduced in 1892. It is noted as being the most important piece of economic legislation of the Third Republic and marked a return to earlier protectionist policies effectively ending the perio ...

.Michael S. Smith, "The Méline Tariff as Social Protection: Rhetoric or Reality?" ''International Review of Social History'' (1992) 37 : pp 230-243

Méline's Ministry

Méline's Ministry, 29 April 1896 – 28 June 1898: *Jules Méline – President of the Council and Minister of Agriculture *

Gabriel Hanotaux Albert Auguste Gabriel Hanotaux, known as Gabriel Hanotaux (19 November 1853 – 11 April 1944) was a French statesman and historian. Biography He was born at Beaurevoir in the '' département'' of Aisne. He studied history at the École des ...

– Minister of Foreign Affairs * Jean-Baptiste Billot – Minister of War *

Louis Barthou Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in July ...

– Minister of the Interior *

Georges Cochery Georges Charles Paul Cochery (20 March 1855 – 10 August 1914) was the son of the French politician Louis-Adolphe Cochery. Cochery was deputy of his father's ''département'' of the Loiret from 1885 until 1914, five times president of the Budget ...

– Minister of Finance * Jean-Baptiste Darlan – 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 *

Alfred Rambaud Alfred Nicolas Rambaud (2 July 1842 – 10 November 1905) was a French historian. Life Alfred Nicolas Rambaud was born in Besançon. After studying at the École Normale Supérieure, he completed his studies in Germany. He was one of that band ...

– Minister of Public Instruction, Fine Arts, and Worship * André Lebon – Minister of Colonies * Adolphe Turrel – Minister of Public Works *

Henry Boucher Henry Aristide "Red" Boucher Jr. (January 27, 1921 – June 19, 2009) was an American politician who served as the second lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1970 to 1974. He had also served as mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska, from 1966 to 1970, and ...

– Minister of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs Changes *26 September 1896 – Jean-Baptiste Darlan succeeds Rambaud as Minister of Worship, remaining also Minister of Justice. Rambaud remains Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. *1 December 1897 –

Victor Milliard Victor Édouard Milliard (19 December 1844 – 9 May 1921) was a French politician who was Minister of Justice for a few months in 1897–98. Early career (1844–90) Victor Édouard Milliard was born on 19 December 1844 in les Andelys, Eure. Hi ...

succeeds Darlan as Minister of Justice and Worship. *31 May 1898 –

succeeds Lebon as interim Minister of Colonies, remaining also Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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