Louis Bérard

Biography

Louis Bérard came from a former family of Provence, Protestant woman right from the start, who, during the wars of religion, had to seek a refuge against religious intolerance in the mountains the top Dauphiné. His/her father, trader, founder of the last Company of the Indies, embraced the principles of the Révolution and became captain in the battalion of the national guard of the Girl-Saint-Thomas. Become suspect to have sought to protect Louis XVI during the Day of August 10th, 1792, it was condemned to died and guillotine in 1794.

In spite of that, his/her son was, under the Restoration, a champion of the liberal ideas. He left the Polytechnic school in 1810, and was named listener with the Council of State, before becoming, in 1814, Maître of the requests and knight of the Légion of honor. He announced himself by his independent and liberal ideas, which made that he was far away from the Council of State to the First Restoration in 1814.

During the Hundred Days, it was in charge of several important missions, was devoted with the cause of the Empereur and took again even possession, in the name of the government, of the “imperial” Imprimerie, become particular property in 1814. When the allies returned, it protected from the exactions, with the danger of its life, the commune of Hyères which it managed.

Moved away from the Council of State by Louis XVIII in 1815, it was recalled there in 1817, then in 1820 on the order was definitively excluded from it from the ministry Richelieu in company of Camille Jordan, Barante, Guizot and Royer-Collard.

As from this time and until in 1827, it devoted its activity to progress of industry and the development of the trade in France. It founded with the son of Chaptal the first company of lighting to gas, directed in its capacity as engineer work of the Canal Saint Martin's day, created a house from bank in Paris to facilitate great work of public utility, founded the forging mills of Alès, and finally undertook to join together, under the name of metal Galerie of the French great men , an important collection of medals which belongs now to the Louvre. He became member of the chamber of commerce of Paris in 1825.

The November 17th 1827 it was elected appointed by the 2nd electoral district of Seine-et-Oise (Arpajon). It sat on the left in the moderated liberal opposition and fought the ministry Villèle. But, in the years 1828 and 1829, it neglected the platform to take share with work of the offices and the commissions. After the fall of the ministry Martignac, it signed the May 16th 1830 the Adresse of the 221, which, in answer to the speech from the throne, voted a refusal of contest to the prince de Polignac, the new chief of the ministry. The again convened room having been dissolved and voters, he was re-elected the July 12th 1830.

He was with the number of the deputies who were in Paris when appeared the ordinances of July 25th, 1830, which gave the signal of the Révolution of July. He then showed among the most decided firmest members and opposition. The popularity of certain names, of those of Laffitte and Fayette inter alia, did not make forget the part so actively decisive which Bérard played at that time.

Being joined together the 26 with an small group of his colleagues at Alexandre de Laborde, he proposed to them to sign, in the name of the Rooms, a protest against the ordinances and of going to carry it to Charles X. This proposal was not approved and Bérard reiterated it, without more success, during the meeting which took place the following day at Casimir Perier. “I did not expect, says it then to Villemain, to find so many brought together cowards. ” The 28, it was at his place that the deputies protesters held an important meeting. It is at his place that was written the protest of the July 28th 1830 which was published by the newspapers; it is him which pled with the most energy the cause of the duke of Orleans; It belonged to the commission of twelve deputies which, at the evening of the July 30th, went to the Château of Neuilly in order to notify the deliberation to him calling it with the general lieutenancy of the kingdom. With the Room, the August 5th it made a speech, Net and precis, in which it asked for the forfeiture of Charles X and his family and the rise of Louis-Philippe on the throne under certain conditions, presented in the form of modifications with the Charte of 1814. The changes that he claimed all were adopted, with the result that, during long enough, one called the new charter “the Bérard charter”.

At the end of the month of August 1830, it was named managing director of the Highways Departments and the mines and, a few days after, to advise State. He was re-elected appointed by the 3rd college of Seine-et-Oise (Corbeil) the July 5th 1831 and voted until in 1834 with the preserving majority.

But the natural independence of its character attracted to him, in its administrative offices, of the contentions with the ministers, after which it gave its resignation. It was withdrawn in Touraine where it applied to the foundation of a large spinning mill for hemp and the flax. At the beginning of 1839, the ministry Molé named it general receiver of finances in the Département of Expensive the, place which it preserved until the end of his life.

He had married the girl of the general Mathieu Dumas (1753 - 1837).

Works

bibliographical Test on the editions of the most required Elzevir S most invaluable and, preceded by a note on these famous printers , Paris, F. Didot, 1822, in-8
Memories of the Revolution of 1830 , Paris, 1834, historical booklet.

References

Sources

Pierre Larousse, Large Universal Dictionary of the 19th century , Paris, 1863-1890, 15 vol.

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