Georges Humann

Georges Humann (Strasbourg 1780 - Paris 1842), financier and politician French. It was several times Minister for Finance under the Monarchie of July.

Biography

Youth and social rise

Jean-Georges Humann was born on August 6th, 1780 with Strasbourg, city where his/her father - of humble country origin was a modest municipal employee. Apprentice in a factory of tobaccos at 14 years, he became soon grocer then, at 19 years, commission agent in rolling. Negotiating in colonial produces (cotton and food products) under the First Empire, Humann piled up in a few years one of the first fortunes of Strasbourg, making of him notable impossible to circumvent as well as the model even of the parvenu middle-class man.

Partisan of the Economic liberalism, it was named " député" (lobbyist would say one nowadays) by the chamber of commerce of Strasbourg (1814). It then made countryside near the ministers and of the members of Parliament to obtain the liberalization of the tobacco and the lifting of the restrictions on the transit of Strasbourg. In spite of the failure of its steps, this mission gave the opportunity to him to be familiarized with the political world of the Restauration.

Years 1820 transfer Humann to launch out in many businesses: it created an insurance company thus, developed a sugar refinery and took part in the creation of a Rhenish company of navigation in vapor. It also created a company for the completion of the " Monsieur" channel; (1821) and took part in the creation of the company of the Forging mills of Audincourt (1824) and in that of the Saltworks of the East (1825), before becoming the second shareholder (after Decazes) of the Company of the collieries of Aveyron (1826). It became, at the same time, the financial adviser and the friend of Victor Cousin.

Political career

Liberal moderated under the Restoration

Liberal on the economic plan, Humann was it also by his political ideas. Appointed elected official of the Low-Rhine in 1820, it took share with the parliamentary debates as a moderated liberal, defending the assets of the Révolution against the ideas reactionaries of the Ultras. He condemned measurements thus blocking freedom of the press and was opposed to the Expédition of Spain (1823).

Re-elected in Strasbourg (1824), he forsook soon the political polemics with the profit of the financial questions and adopted an increasingly pragmatic attitude, by in particular taking his distances with the liberalism of left incarnated by Benjamin Constant, thus evolving to the center-left and the Doctrinaires carried out by Royer-Collard. This tepidity (considered to be obliging with regard to the government Villèle, it had supported the project of conversion of the revenue from 5 to 3%) and its reputation of racketeer made him lose the elections of 1827.

It recovered nevertheless a seat with the Room the following year (1828), with the favor of a by-election in Aveyron, department in which it had important interests (as a shareholder and a chairman of the board of the Company of the collieries). If it remained in the benches of the opposition the day before the Révolution of 1830, in particular signing the Adresse of the 221, its moderation and its taste of the order made him fear the showdown and even led it to want to organize the return of Villèle. But this attempt at conciliation failed and, in July, the Glorious Three carried the political family of Humann to the capacity.

Partisan of the Happy medium under the Monarchy of July

Re-elected appointed of the Low-Rhine, Humann belonged to the parliamentary commission charged to revise the Charte (1830). Faithful to his moderate political line, the Alsatian deputy gave an opinion for the party - then majority of the " résistance" (conservative) against that of the " mouvement" (progressist). The dissatisfaction caused by the new mode (too narrow Vote censitaire, economic crisis and social) was translated soon in Strasbourg by a demonstration of hostility towards Humann. Indeed, on June 4th, 1831, of the students progressists orchestrated a " charivari" who turned to the riot: the house of the deputy was attacked with the cries d'" In low Humann! With bottom happy medium! " and the troop had to intervene to disperse the demonstrators. Re-elected in the Room (1831), it took part in all the financial discussions and was indicated rapporteur of the budget of 1832.

Minister for Finance

In spite of its health issues, Humann was several times Minister for Finance in the governments Soult I (1832-1834), Gerard (1834), Mortier (1834-1835), Broglie II (1835-1836) and Soult III (1840-1842). He preached a strict balance in the budget which he thought of being able to obtain by a harmonious combination of credit and imposition, while avoiding as much as possible to have recourse to expédients: “The abuse the tax kills the present, the abuse the credit devours the future”. Another of its principles was “to make return to the tax all that it can return”.

The question of the conversion of the revenues

Eager to reduce the weight of the national debt, he proposed his own initiative a new project of conversion of the revenues. However, the duke of Broglie, chief of the government, and the king feared to dissatisfy the middle-class rentière - social base of the mode and drove back Humann with the resignation (January 1836). The question of the conversion of the revenues having finally caused the fall of the duke of Broglie and its other ministers, the king required of Humann to form a new government. Not very inclined with the intrigues political and attached to the principle of solidarity ministerial, Humann refused. Raised to the Peerage in 1837, he was recalled to the ministry for finances in October 1840.

The census and " the summer rouge" from 1841

In order to rectify the public finances obérées by the military expenditure of the government Thiers, Humann decided to make apply with more rigor the taking away of the Direct taxation and, more particularly, Impôt to the doors and windows. For this purpose, it ordered one general of the dwellings rencensement and rather entrusted this task to the tax officials than to the municipal authorities usually in charge of the distribution of this tax. This project and its implementation caused, during the summer 1841, a series of popular revolts driven by the fear (abundantly relayed by rumors) of tax oppression and the rejection of the state control. In spite of these riots, which crystallized especially around Toulouse, Bordeaux, Clermont and Lille, the census was effectively carried out in the majority of the communes, revealing that a half-million built properties did not pay the impôt.
Atteint of an aneurism in the middle, Humann - that one called " Necker alsacien" - died on April 25th, 1842, whereas it was, sitting at its office, compiling a budgetary document.

Guizot said of him: “It was a man of a raised spirit, manners serious, of a great authority financial, hard, ombrageux, likely, anxious in silence, very careful of its personal condition, bearing in the public life more dignity than of force and more prudence than of tact, conservative by taste as by position, too enlightened not being liberal as far as the interests of the order comprised it, and holding well everywhere its place without being given nowhere entire.” ( Memories to be used for the history of my time , Paris, Levy, t.6, 1864, p.383)

His/her oldest son, Theodore Humann (1803-1873), was elected appointed of the Low-Rhine in 1846 then mayor of Strasbourg of 1864 with 1870.

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