Claude Perier

Claude II Périer known as milord is a banker and industrial French born in Grenoble (Isere) on May 28th, 1742 and deceased in Paris on February 6th, 1801. He is the son of Jacques II Périer and Marie-Elizabeth Dupuy.

He is mainly known for the meeting of the general states in Dauphiné which he accommodates in his castle of Vizille on July 21st, 1788. This meeting is the first to grant to the Third-State here majority the vote per capita, and not by order as in the other general states, in particular those of Pau or Rennes.

The deputies of Vizille vote that " the three orders of the province will not grant the taxes, by free gifts or differently, only when their representatives deliberate on it in the general states on the royaume."

If the motivation of Périer remains above all to support the members of Parliament of the Dauphine one, of Paris and many other provinces against the tax measures of Loménie de Brienne (loans, raised news of taxes), it is also its will to see a new national order being established in the kingdom of France, divided with most of the middle-class woman just as certain members of the nobility and low-clergy, which pushes it to ask with the assembly of Vizille for the convocation by the King of the General states of the kingdom, thus engaging the revolutionary process.

But before the politician, it is before all the negotiating rich person and financier that it is necessary to see as a Claude II Périer. Claude II to differentiate it from its great-grandfather, Claude I Périer (1638-1674), whose son Jacques I (1699-1752) is notary with Villard-of-Lans, and the grandson, Jacques II Périer (1703-1782), merchant and consul of Grenoble.

Claude II Périer is thus the heir to a family to notable from the Dauphine, his father Jacques II and his maternal grandfather Claude Dupuy having all two exerted the functions of consul with Grenoble. He draws from it at the same time a great personal fortune and the direction of the businesses suitable to make it bear fruit.

He marries on April 28th, 1767 with Grenoble Marie-Charlotte Pascal, itself girl of Charles Pascal, general syndic of the merchants of Grenoble (current equivalent of the mayor) and public auditor in the Chancellery close the Parliament of Dauphiné. The personality of the two husbands seems to differ singularly.

If Claude II Périer is a business man entirely dedicated to the trade, seemingly little concerned about the religious feeling towards which it does not show nevertheless any hostility, his wife turns as for her to an intense faith, near of mysticism. From their union will be born 12 children of which 10 will survive their father.

Parallel to this family life, Claude undertakes true a course honorum in the financial world: he creates his own bank, is named to advise and secretary of the King to the room of the Accounts of Dauphine in 1778 then 36 years old. Two years later, it buys the castle of Vizille (38) with the load of marquis of the same grounds. Its weapons are then of azure to a gold band accompanied as a chief by a head of lion torn off and crowned money, lampassée of mouths . It installs in the right wing of the castle of manufactures of papers and cotton fabrics and a printing works.

After the illegal meeting of the State-Generals of the Dauphine which makes following the " Day of the tiles " with Grenoble, the members of Parliament from the Dauphine know that they lay out in their sling of a broad support among the people and the middle-class. Moreover, Périer enjoys the recognition of its pars: it has a new load, that of director of the general hospital of Grenoble. But the Révolution was going to take with Paris an unexpected turning and the periods of disorder which it inaugurates will harm the businesses of Périer like so much of others. Once its liquidated bank, it however does not remain with the variation of the life as well economic as political of its area. He buys goods national in mines of Anzin (that of which its descendants, among which the president of the Republic Jean Casimir-Périer, principal shareholder, will be grateful to him) and becomes municipal officer of Grenoble in October 1792. However, the soon main Montagnards of the city quickly reproach him its friendship with the Girondins and Fédéralisme show it. Thanks to the support of Camille Teisseire, popular agent of Convention, Montagnard (and who will become his son-in-law), it will not be worried. The businesses of Périer begin again and its qualities of manager are recognized by the First Consul Bonaparte, certainly in addition admitting to have received its financial aid at the time of its accession to the capacity by the coup d'etat of November 9th, 1799.

Périer writes the statutes of the any news Banque de France with Jean-Frederic Perrégaux. The institution was created on January 18th, 1800 at the request of Bonaparte in order to issue bills payable at sight and with the carrier. It is organized in the shape of a joint stock company whose General meeting of the shareholders elects 15 regents charged to manage the Bank. Claude Périer is the first Regent elected in V° sits. Of this load he will not see the term, not more than of that of deputy of the Isere, elected on December 25th, 1800 by the Sénat.

He dies in his private mansion with Paris where he was constrained to place of share his contract with the Banque de France, Rue Saint-Honore, on February 6th, 1801. According to Stendhal, he died of cold in the night, having refused to heat itself because he found wood too expensive!

That Stendhal told truth or not, he insists thus on the legendary avarice of Périer. This man whom one called milord in reference to his extraordinary richness did not carry out large train. The transitory marquis of Vizille dressed himself the every day in the same complete sufficiently thick blue to hold to him hot in winter, starved almost his children, marked later by the austere education which they knew in their father then the Oratoriens of Lyon. One can certainly allot the success of all his wire in the policy and/or finance to the fortune which was bequeathed to them as well as to the energy and the direction of the businesses that Périer father left them among his treasure.

The children of Claude II Périer are:

• Joséphine Périer (1770-1850), wife of the baron Savoye de Rollin
• Augustin Perier (1773-1833): par of France, deputy of Isere, chair bankruptcy court, representative Commercial and Industry with the Room of the Hundred Days, city council man of Grenoble, Polytechnicien, officer of the Légion of Honor
• Alexandre Périer (1774-1846): mayor of Montargis, deputy and president of the General advice of the Loiret.
• Scipion Périer (1776-1821): bank manager and industries, member of the Academy of Arts and Trades, director of the Savings bank and precaution, administrator of the Mines of Anzin, regent of the Banque de France with the VII° sits.
• Casimir Périer (1777-1832): banker, deputy of the the Seine, the Paddle, president of the House of Commons, President of the Council, Minister of Interior Department, judge with the Bankruptcy court, member of the Chamber of commerce, regent of the Banque de France with the XI° sits, Ordre of the Lily, officer of the Légion of Honor.
• Marine Périer (1779-1851), wife of Camille Teisseire, Conventional and industrial
• Camille Périer (1781-1844): Polytechnicien, member of the Office of the Statistics, geographer, listener with the Council of State, prefect of the Corrèze, the Meuse, appointed the Sarthe, Corrèze, Even of France, mayor of Chatou (78), knight of the Legion of Honor.
• Alphonse Périer (1782-1866): ordering National guard, mayor of Eybens, appointed Isere, judge with the Bankruptcy court, general adviser of the Isere, administrator of the civil hospice of Grenoble, member of the academic Council, administrator of the Grenoble-native branch of the Banque de France, vice-president of the Savings bank and Precaution of Grenoble.
• Amédée Périer (1785-1851): listener with the Council of State
• Joseph Périer (1786-1868): listener with the Council of State, receiver general of the Large army, receiver of finances (Paris IV°), administrator then president of the mines of Anzin, appointed the Marne, regent of the Banque de France with the XI° sits, officer of the Légion of Honor.