Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot (26 September 1796, in
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. The town is famous for being ...
– 2 October 1866, in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
) was a French diplomat and politician.
Family
He was the son of
Étienne-François Turgot (1721–1789), marquis de Soumont; his great-uncle was
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne ( ; ; 10 May 172718 March 1781), commonly known as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Sometimes considered a physiocrat, he is today best remembered as an early advocate for economic liber ...
; his great grandfather was
Michel-Étienne Turgot.
He married Louise Mouton de Lobau, in 1830, daughter of
Georges Mouton
Georges Mouton, comte de Lobau (; 21 February 1770 – 27 November 1838) was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France.
Biography
Born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, he enlisted in the French Revolutionary A ...
, comte Lobau.
He had children Jacques-Louis Turgot, who married Tecla de Montaignac in 1867; and Madame Dubois de L'Estaing.
Career
He left
Saint-Cyr, and was a trooper in the guard who followed
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...
to Ghent.
He was a Cuirassiers officer in the Royal Guard under the
Restoration, he resigned on 26 July 1830.
He rallied to
Louis Philippe, and entered the
House of Peers in 1832, where he sat with the right, supporters of conservative politics. After the presidential election of 1848, he became a fervent supporter of
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 had no official business when, on 26 October 1851, he was appointed foreign minister in the cabinet containing St. Arnaud and Maupas, charged with preparing a coup. Without doubt the Marquis de Turgot owed this amazing promotion to his name, as much as his social position. Although not required, apparently he confided in the coup, and he fully supported, as a man of order, the new regime, that was responsible for admission by the European embassies. On 28 July 1852, he was replaced by Drouyn Lhuys, and was appointed senator.
In April 1853, he obtained the post of ambassador in Madrid. During his mission, he fought a duel with his U.S. counterpart, in which he was seriously injured. Recovered, he became ambassador in August 1858 in Bern, where he remained for eight years until his death. Turgot had said: “Colonies are like fruits which cling to the tree only till they ripen.” He had predicted that as soon as America can take care of herself, she would break away from Britain.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turgot, Louis Felix Etienne, Marquis De
1796 births
1866 deaths
Foreign ministers of France
People from Falaise, Calvados