Jérôme Frédéric Paul, baron David (30 June 1823 – 27 January 1882) was the reputed illegitimate son of

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), Kingdom of Westphalia, King of Westphal ...

. Throughout his life, he served France in a number of capacities such as politician and officer. He was also a journalist. He served as an aide-de-camp in the army in Algeria and the Crimea, then entered politics and was a member of the Corps législatif during the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

. He was briefly

Minister of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

at the outbreak of 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 ...

of 1870.

Early years

Jérôme David was born in Rome, Italy, on 30 June 1823, nominal grandson of the painter

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 ...

, and godson of

, King of

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

and

Catharina of Württemberg Princess Katharina of Württemberg (full name: Friederike Katharina Sophie Dorothea; 21 February 1783 – 29 November 1835) was Queen of Westphalia by marriage to Jérôme Bonaparte, who reigned as King of Westphalia between 1807 and 1813. L ...

, his wife. He was rumoured to be the natural son of King Jérôme. His family destined him for the navy, where he served from 1835 to 1837, but he took a dislike to this service and chose to join the army instead. He graduated from the

École de Saint-Cyr École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

on 1 October 1844 as second lieutenant of the

Zouave The Zouaves () were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army and other units modelled on it, which served between 1830 and 1962, and served in French North Africa. The zouaves were among the most decorated units of the French Army ...

s. David was in turn an aide to General

Louis-Eugène Cavaignac Louis-Eugène Cavaignac (; 15 October 1802 – 28 October 1857) was a French general and politician who served as head of the executive power of France between June and December 1848, during the French Second Republic. Born in Paris to a promi ...

, head of the ''bureau arabe'' at Lalla Maghnia on the Moroccan frontier, aide to General

Paul de Ladmirault Paul de Ladmirault (17 February 1808, in Montmorillon – 1 February 1898, in Sillars) was a French general active in the French conquest of Algeria and during the wars of the Second French Empire. Life Ladmirault was born on 17 February 1808 a ...

, aide to General Jacques Louis Randon the governor-general of Algeria, and finally commanding officer of the Beni-Massour circle in

Kabylie Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle language, Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kaby ...

. In 1853 he married Jeanne Cécile Elisa Merle, of

Langon, Gironde Langon (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Langon serves as the seat of its district, canton and subprefecture. Its inhabitants are called ''Langon ...

, ex-wife of Mr. Despiet, a

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

notary. In 1853–55 he was an aide to his reputed brother, Prince Napoléon Bonaparte, whom he followed in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

. David was made a captain of the 21st line regiment in 1854. He returned with the prince to France when the prince's physical and moral condition no longer allowed him to stay with the army. He resigned from the army in 1857.

Political career

Second French Empire

In 1854, David was elected Mayor of Langon and general councilor of the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

for the canton of Saint-Symphorien. He ran for election to the legislature for the 3rd constituency of

on 22 June 1857 but was defeated. He ran again on 1 May 1859, for the 4th constituency of

La Réole La Réole (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Geography La Réole is located on the right bank of the Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux by rail. La Réole station has rail connections to Age ...

, and was elected. He sat with the dynastic majority, and spoke in favour of free trade on the eve of the Treaty of Commerce with England. David was reelected on 1 June 1863 for the 4th constituency of Gironde. He continued to support the Emperor's personal policy. For three successive years, he served in the capacity of the secretary of the Corps législatif. The Emperor

Napoleon 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 ...

appointed David Vice-President of the Corps législatif for the sessions of 1867, 1868 and 1869. HeHe was active in debates, with uncompromising conservative view Whenen he was reappointed Vice-President in June 1869, this was seen as a promise to the reactionary party, and President

Eugène Schneider Joseph Eugène Schneider (29 March 1805 – 27 November 1875) was a French industrialist and politician. In 1836, he co-founded the Schneider company with his brother, Adolphe Schneider. For many years he was a Deputy, and he was briefly Minis ...

submitted his resignation. Schneider agreed to remain only at the personal request of the emperor. David was made a

Commander of the Legion of Honor 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 ...

in August 1864 and Grand Officer on 19 June 1869. David was reelected for the 6th constituency of

on 24 May 1869. He opposed the ministry of

Émile Ollivier Olivier Émile Ollivier (; 2 July 182520 August 1913) was a French statesman. Starting as an avid republican opposed to Emperor Napoleon III, he pushed the Emperor toward liberal reforms and in turn came increasingly into Napoleon's grip. He en ...

. He spoke against the Hohenzolern candidacy for the Spanish throne, and was one of the strongest supporters of the declaration of war against Prussia in 1870. After the Ollivier cabinet fell on 10 August 1870, he was made

in the Palikao cabinet. David announced the defeat at the

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...

to the Senate, and declared "Paris will not capitulate, and, if necessary, we will be buried under its ruins." The next day, on 4 September 1870, he returned to private life.

French Second Republic

After a short exile in Great Britain in which he was one of the main correspondents of Louis-Napoleon, David attempted to return to politics. On 2 July 1871, he ran for reelection as deputy for the Gironde but was defeated. Strongly affected by the disappearance of his two children in 1872, and then by the death of

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 seemed tempted to abandon politics. However, on 6 October 1874 he was elected to the general council for the canton of Langon. He was reelected to Parliament for Bazas on 5 March 1876, after a campaign based on defending the achievements of the Empire and denouncing the Republic. He sat with the

Appel au peuple The Appel au peuple (Plebiscite) was a Bonapartist parliamentary group during the early years of the French Third Republic. They advocated a plebiscite by which the people would choose the form of government, which they assumed would be a revival ...

group. He supported Albert de Broglie against the 363. David was beaten in Langon in the municipal elections of February 1877. He was reelected as deputy as an official candidate on 18 October 1877. The Republican majority invalidated this election, but he was reelected on 7 July 1878 and continued to vote with the

Bonapartists Bonapartism () is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used in the narrow sense to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In ...

. He gave up the political struggle after the death of the Prince Imperial. He did not defend his seat in the cantonal elections of 1880 or the legislative elections of 1881. He died on 27 January 1882 in Langon. His entire fortune was a house, valued at 15,000 francs.

Publications

* * * *

Notes

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:David, Jerome 1823 births 1882 deaths French Navy personnel French Army officers Appel au peuple Ministers of public works of France Members of the 2nd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire Members of the 3rd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire Members of the 4th Corps législatif of the Second French Empire Members of the 1st Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 2nd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic