Eugene Rouher

Eugene Rouher (Riom, November 30th 1814 - Paris, February 3rd 1884), man of law and politician French, was one of the principal characters of the Second Empire. Its preeminent position at the top of the State in the years 1860 was worth to him to be qualified of “Vice-Emperor”. It was, between the death of Napoleon III (1873) and that of the prince Eugene (1879), the main leader of the party Bonapartiste.

Biography

Bar of Riom to the political scene

Wire of a solicitor auvergnat, Eugene Rouher was born with Riom on November 30th, 1814. After having considered a career in the navy, it followed studies of right to Paris and became lawyer with the bar of Riom (1830), where it had Esquirou de Parieu for colleague. It was made soon know by pleading certain political lawsuits and became the son-in-law of the mayor of Clermont-Ferrand, Hippolyte Conchon (v. 1840).

Preserving Orleanist, in favor of an authoritative monarchy, Rouher presented to the elections 1846 as a candidate guizotin (it had met Guizot via Morny). In spite of its failure at the time of this last poll, it represented in 1848 and was elected representative with Constituent under a label of “independent” maintaining voluntarily a certain blur on its feelings with regard to the Second republic which had just been proclaimed.

Under the Second republic

Indeed, although it publicly qualified this last mode of holy arch of the future generations and that it held of the remarks rather progressists during the electoral campaign, it was to soon express its preserving ideas while sitting on the right, as a voter against the right to work and by preparing the law which organized the deportation of insurgent Journées of June. Besides it joined the left the Order, directed by Cavaignac and Morny, in 1849 and, a few months later, addressing to the representatives Left, it declared: Your revolution of February was only one catastrophe! .

Re-elected with the legislative Parliament (May 1849), her convenient rallying with Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte brought back to him the wallet of Justice in the government Hautpoul, this “ministry for the Clerk” trained on October 31st, 1849. Rouher, which supported the law of May 31st, 1850 restricting the vote for all, preserved this guardroom of the seals within the government named on January 10th, 1851. Again member of the ministry formed on April 11th, 1851 (Baroche-Fould cabinet), it belonged to the small circle the faithful informed ones as of August of the project of coup d'etat. In spite of its refusal to take part directly in the December 2nd, it agreed to take again the wallet of Justice in the ministry formed as of the shortly after the coup d'etat.

A pillar of the authoritative Empire

Principal craftsman, with Troplong, of the Constitution of January 14th, 1852, and instigator, with Persigny, of the relative order to the mode of the press instituting a system of rigorous censure, Eugene Rouher contributed effectively to the establishment of the authoritative Empire. Although he resigned at the same time as Fould, Magne and Morny to protest against the spoliation of the princes of the house of Orleans (January 23rd, 1852), he was named vice-president of the Council of State in next December. Napoleon III could not indeed do without the services of this skilful and devoted technocrat. Named to the head of a great ministry for Agriculture, Trade and Public works (1855 - 1863), it contributed to the installation of the railway network and, as a partisan of free trade, it played a leading role in the negotiation of the commercial treaty with England (January 23rd 1860).

Entered with the Senate in 1856 then with the the private Council in 1859, it was named president of the Council of State in June 1863 then minister of state in October of the same year. This last function making of him the official representative of Napoleon III near the Senate and the legislative body, Rouher could then be qualified - according to an expression of Emile Ollivier - of “Vice-Emperor”. This place prevalent at the top of the State is explained as much by fidelity without terminal of this man of law cold and methodical why by the relative weakness of a sovereign reduced by serious health issues.

The liberalization of the mode led to the end of the years 1860 put however fine at the preeminent position of Rouher, the authoritative conservatism of this last having been irreconcilable with the reforms led at that time. It was thus dislocated of its functions in July 1869 but obtained however the presidency of the Senate. If Rouher had many times proven its skill as regards interior policy, it was definitely less advised by advising the emperor on his foreign policy: partisan of the Mexican forwarding which he regarded as greater thought of the reign and favorable to a bringing together with the mode Southerner during the American Civil War, it could prevent neither the rise to power of Prussia, neither crushing by the latter of isolated and badly prepared France, nor the fall of the mode pulled by this disaster (1870).

Under the Third republic

Remained faithful to Napoleon III, Rouher often visited him in its English exile to hold it informed businesses of France. After being beaten in two districts at the time of the elections complementary to July 1871, he was elected representing Corsica in February 1872 and joined the Bonapartist group of the Appel to the people with the National Assembly. He reorganized then the party Bonapartist with the assistance of Jules Amigues and of Paul Granier de Cassagnac and took the direction of it after the death of Napoleon III (1873). Opposing to the republic, he voted against the amendment Wallon and the constitutional laws (1875).

In spite of a certain return in strength attested by results more than encouraging to the elections of 1876 and 1877, the party Bonapartist suffered from his tugging between the authoritative conservatism of Rouher and the democratic liberalism of Napoleon Jerome. The competition between the two men (and their respective designs) culminated besides at the time of their duel for the district of Ajaccio (1876).

Re-elected appointed of Riom in 1877, Rouher preserved its role of apologist of the Empire until the death of the prince Eugene (1879). Politically weakened by this event (which placed its rival, Napoleon Jerome, with the head of a movement Bonapartist already condemned by the irresistible rise of the republicans), Eugene Rouher then withdrew gradually political arena and did not represent with the legislative elections of 1881.
Struck down by an attack in 1883, he died in Paris on February 3rd 1884.

Judgment of the contemporaries

Victor Hugo, by treating Rouher of “trollop” in her Punishments ( Nox , IV, towards 29), insisted on the opportunism of the character.
Emile Ollivier described it as follows: Rouher, of intermediate size, robust, the head regular, pleasant, strong and clear, animated by eyes waked up, intelligent, of a smoothness which one had sometimes some sorrow to distinguish from falseness, showed in all its person an air of insurance and authority, which no mortuary spoiled and which softened in the ways of a captivating familiarity .
Horace of Viel-Manor house said of him: M. Rouher can speak finances or public works in front of the Senate or the legislative body, it neither will be borrowed, nor too badly accommodated, but its importance puffs out, its pasty jactance auvergnate, and the very limited range of its political intelligence make it not very clean to the functions of minister of state. It is a speaker but it is not a speaker. There is in him of the solicitor and the solicitor of province.

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