Antoine François Passy

Biography

Resulting from a family originating in Gisors, wire of Louis-François Passy, former clerk with the exercises of the general receipt of Soissons, then general receiver of the department of Dyle (Brussels) under the First Empire, and of Helene Pauline Jacket of Aure, Antoine François Passy was the older brother of Hippolyte Passy (1793 - 1880), economist and politician, several times minister under the Monarchie of July and the Second Republic and the father of Louis Passy, archivist paleographer and deputy of the Eure of 1876 with 1889.

Secretary of its uncle, the count d' Aure, director as a chief of the army of the Elba in 1813, he becomes chief clerk with the Court of Auditors under the Restauration. Named prefect of the the Eure the August 5th 1830, it resigns in 1837 to be presented to the delegation. He is elected the November 4th in the 3rd electoral college of the Eure (Andelys) (309 votes out of 374 voters and 515 registered voters), and re-elected the March 2nd 1839 (351 votes out of 363 voters).

Named directing of the departmental and communal administration to the ministry for the Interior and adviser of State in extraordinary service in 1839, it is represented in front of its voters who re-elect it the June 15th 1839 (273 votes out of 277 voters). Revoked on March 1st 1840, it is named under-secretary of State inside the November 4th 1840 in the third ministry Soult until the September 19th 1847. Its voters of the Eure renew their confidence to him the December 12th 1840 (239 votes out of 280 voters), July 9th 1842 (278 votes out of 480 voters and 594 registered voters against 186 votes with Mr. de Montreuil) and 1846 (463 votes out of 611 voters and 686 registered voters). It supports the government and votes in favor of the equipment of the duke of Nemours, against the incompatibilities, for the compensation for Pritchard. In 1845, it is with the head of the charged commission of the electric telegraph then directs in 1849 another charged commission to reorganize the national Muséum of natural history. In 1841, he becomes general adviser of the Eure before resigning in 1848.

All its life, it is interested in the Géologie and the Botanique. In 1814, it makes appear a study of the flora of the surroundings of Brussels. After the Revolution of 1848, it withdraws public life and is devoted exclusively to its scientific work which is worth to him to be elected in 1857 with the Academy of Science. It takes part in 1854 in the creation of the botanical Société of France. He is the author of a Geological map of the department of the Eure (1857).

Portrait by the Brothers Goncourt

“Mr. Antoine Passy is a cold man, smiling but not laughing. He has, like his brother (Hippolyte), a mocking remark catch. He scoffs at the ones, others, tastes of his wife and his tastes. Spirit less dilated, less wide but more solid and more sitted. Man of family, without grace and abandonment in the social reports/ratios. Attached, narquois, knowing to keep silent itself, causing little and saving die of the talk. Extremely enthusiast, no matter what he says, and extremely engoué of the agricultural and literary companies of province, of the contests of cattle, giving its time, its spirit to it and by occupying its leisures (geologist, naturalist, collector of stone and herbaria, translating of English, etc). Anticatholique, but less abundant than his/her brother in sarcastic remarks on this point, less talkative, knowing less and better. ”

Sources

François Pellegrin, “One century of Company of botany of France”, Bulletin of the botanical Company of France , supplement with the n° 101, 1954, pp. 17-46
Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny, Dictionary of the French Members of Parliament , Paris, Dourloton, 1889

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