Joseph-Dominique Louis

The baron Joseph-Dominique Louis , also called the abbot Louis , is a diplomatic Politician and French born with Toul (Meurthe) the November 13rd 1755 and died with Bry-sur-Marne (Seine-et-Marne) the August 26th 1837. He was essential like a remarkable technician of public finances and was with five different recoveries Minister for Finance, under the two Restorations and the monarchy of July.

Biography

Wire of a lawyer to the Parliament of Metz and Marianne Royer, Joseph-Dominique Louis, born in the évêché of Toul , and baptized to the church Midsummer's Day de Toul, followed studies to the seminar of Metz, where it accepted the minor orders and was devoted deacon. In 1780, he became adviser-clerk with the third room of the investigations of the Parlement of Paris, where one was not long in noticing his aptitudes in financial matters. It started to attend the Parisian circles, and met the Panchaud financier and the abbot of Périgord, agent general of the Clergy of France.

At the time revolutionist

Member, in 1788, of the provincial assembly of Orléanais, it was, in 1789, one of the writers of the registers of grievances for the parish Saint-Andre-of-Arts. The July 14th 1790, at the time of the Festival of the Federation, it assisted Talleyrand in the capacity as deacon at the time of the mass celebrated on the furnace bridge of the fatherland with the Champ de Mars. It lent oath to the civil Constitution of the clergy and, for this reason, was excommunicated while achieving a diplomatic mission in Sweden for Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. It was rewarded for it by a nomination in quality for minister for France to the Denmark in January 1792, but the situation developing quickly it occupied this station, failed to become Minister for the Foreign relations in July of the same year then, after the events of August 10th, it passed in England, without however being never classified among the emigrants.

In London, the Louis abbot worked in the banking environment and studied the financial system of the City .

Under the Consulate and the Empire

The shortly after the 18 brumaire, it returned to France where the situation standardized and was successively named head clerk to the ministry for the War (1800), then with the chancellery of the Légion of honor (1806), before entering to the Council of State in the capacity as Maître of the requests.

About this time, the Neapolitan government wanted to entrust the creation and the direction of several financial institutions to him. One spoke about it with the Empereur which refused to let it leave: “Which is he thus this man, says, for whom everyone requires and who, does not ask him anything? ”

Louis was then created baron of the Empire (December 9th 1809) and was called with the presidency of the council of liquidation established in Holland (1810), then in Westphalia, before entering the offices of the Treasury then directed by the count Mollien, where it was in charge of the direction of the dispute, and to be named to advise State in 1811.

The March 11th 1813, it defended with ardor in front of the legislative Body the bill for the sale of the goods of the communes which owed, under the Restoration, being highly reproached the imperial government.

Under the Restoration

First passage to the ministry for Finances (April 1st, 1814 - March 20th, 1815)

In 1814, the baron Louis was in the wake of his/her friend Talleyrand, who made it name Minister for Finance on April 1st by the commission of the provisional government; this nomination was confirmed by Louis XVIII (May 3rd 1814) and it remained in station until the March 20th 1815.

Its role was essential for the re-establishment of the elder branch. The State was in quasi-bankruptcy, and Louis found initially only 100.000 ecus in the cases of the Treasury. He restores confidence by ensuring that France would pay the debts of the Empire and then founded the system which establishes its reputation and which he exposed in front of the Rooms during the session of 1814: it was a question of covering a budget of expenditure for 1815 of 1.445 million, in which the military expenditure had been reduced to the maximum, in particular by compressing manpower and by putting in half-pay the demobilized soldiers, by emitting royal goods with 8% of interest, by putting on sale goods of the communes and wood of the State (law of the September 23rd 1814) and by maintaining the majority of the joined together Droits. The July 22nd 1814, the deputies heard it, its without astonishment, to devote to a violent criticism financial administration of the Empire, of which it had been one of the top-ranking executives. These attacks caused an exchange of lampoons between itself and the former minister Gaudin, duke of Gaète. The quarrel was stopped by the unloading of Napoleon to the Gulf-Juan.

Second passage to the ministry for Finances (July 9th - September 26th, 1815)

The baron Louis followed the king to Ghent at the time of the Hundred Days and took again his wallet the July 9th 1815.

The financial position was particularly delicate. It was said that the baron Louis succeeds in withdrawing from greed Allies box them dissimulated by some devoted accountants, and that it obtained, in this critical moment, of the helps of the trade and the general receivers. It also set up a compulsory loan, of which the subscription was not free from difficulties; but he did not hesitate to take rigorous measures and to threaten the recalcitrant ones to sell their pieces of furniture, and the loan was refunded exactly besides later with all the creditors. After having conceded with the party ultra a great number of dismissals, the baron Louis, in dissension with the majority of the untraceable Room, left the government the September 26th, when the duke of Richelieu replaced Talleyrand with the head of the ministry, leaving its wallet to the count Corvetto.

He had been elected, the August 22nd 1815, had been appointed by the large college of the department of Meurthe and, the same day, by the department of the Seine. He was re-elected the October 4th 1816 by the large college of Meurthe, took seat at the center left and voted with the moderate royalists. He mixed especially with the financial discussions, fought the ideas of the count de Villèle and went on several occasions into technical details which he had thoroughly but that he expressed badly, not being gifted for the art of public speaking.

Third passage to the ministry for Finances (December 30th, 1818 - November 19th, 1819)

The December 30th 1818, it took again the wallet of finances in the ministry Dessolles, actually directed by Élie Decazes.

The baron Louis obtained new advances of the general receivers in their giving a direct interest in the benefit which they got for the Treasury. He made establish in each department of the auxiliary books of the Large Book of the national debt, intended to receive the funds of the inhabitants of the provinces; this measurement was highly fought by the extremists like clean to develop in all France the taste of agiotage. He declared himself moreover in favor of the increase of 42 million the consolidated debt.

He knew many vexations in front of the rooms. During the session of 1818 - 1819, by presenting a relative bill to the monopoly of the tobaccos, it caused a general murmur by pronouncing a supported praise of the control “whose forms, says he, soften day in day, and with which the inhabitants familiarize themselves more and more”. During the discussion of the finance law for 1819, a deputy, Mr. Roy, having represented to him that the article relating to the floating debt could not be joined together with another bill because the royal proposal was to be put in deliberation such as it had been presented to the Room, the baron Louis caused general hilarity while exclaiming: “Eh well! we will change it! ”

It was of a nature carried, irascible, heading and edge. According to a biographer of time: “He at one time quarreled an adviser of State in his living room like formerly a boy of office in the corridors of the Rue of Game preserve. Delivered to these frequent moments of impatience, Its Excellence throws its head in its two insufficient hands to conceal a nose which has more than the ordinary length. Its voice becomes piercing and hard then; it reaches with the F the highest pianos. ”

When the ministry divided about the electoral law, the baron Louis, who wished his maintenance, with the constitutional royalists, resigned at the same time the November 19th 1819 as Dessolles and Gouvion Saint-Cyr military school. There remained however Minister of state and member of the Council deprived until the advent of the Villèle ministry the December 21st 1821, and were high with the dignity of Grand Cross of the Legion of honor.

October 1st 1821, it was re-elected appointed by the 1st electoral district of Meurthe (Nancy) at the same time as by the 1st electoral district of the Puy-de-Dôme (Clermont-Ferrand). He chose Meurthe and took again his place at the center left of the Room. He decided against the laws of exception and fought the Villèle ministry, which made him withdraw the title of minister of state (ordinance of the May 12th 1822) and managed to ruin its candidature for Nancy the February 25th 1824. The baron Louis withdrew himself then with Bercy, where it had acquired in 1810 the vast grounds where were built the wine warehouses.

He found his seat of deputy the November 17th 1827, elected in the 2nd district of Meurthe (Lunéville) and in the 8th district of Paris, but failing Castle-Saline. He chose Paris and sat at the Room in the opposition to the ministry Polignac. He signed the Adresse of the 221 and was re-elected the June 23rd 1830, but this time at Castle-Saline.

Under the monarchy of July

Fourth passage to the ministry for Finances (July 31st - November 2nd, 1830)

The baron Louis took an active share with the inversion of Charles X and with the establishment of the Monarchie of July. He was again named Minister for Finance the July 31st 1830 in the Ministère named by the municipal commission of Paris, was confirmed by the duke of Orleans in the provisional ministry of the 1 {{er}} August 1830 and remained in place in the first ministry for the reign of Louis-Philippe I {{er}} until the November 2nd 1830. The arrival with the head of the ministry of Jacques Laffitte, which took for him the wallet of finances, then led it to leave the government.

Once again, he actively worked to restore the public purses, and was re-elected in Meurthe in October 1830.

Fifth passage to the ministry for Finances (March 13rd, 1831 - October 11th, 1832)

It found the wallet of finances for the last time the March 13rd 1831 in the ministry Casimir Perier, until the October 11th 1832.

He declared himself against the sequestration of the goods of Charles X and of its family, approved the state of siege (1832).

The September 23rd 1831, it was elected appointed by the 4th college of the Marne (Sézanne) to replace Casimir Perier which had chosen Paris, but the October 11th 1832, with its departure of the ministry, Louis-Philippe named it Pair France. It sat at the Room of the pars until its death and supported the most preserving measurements constantly there, intervening on several occasions on questions of finances.

Its considerable fortune (castle of Bry-sur-Marne, grounds of the wine market in Bercy) went to its nephews Gaulthier de Rigny, among whom the admiral de Rigny and the general of Rigny.

Quotations

“Make me good policy, I will make you sound finance. ”

“the State must be the most honest man of France. ”

References

Sources

J. - Alcide Georgel, Armorial of the families of Lorraine titrated or confirmed at the 19th century , Tweed, At the author, 1882

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