Adolphe Crémieux | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Adolphe Crémieux byNadar, 1856 | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 4 September 1870 – 17 February 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Théodore Grandperret |
| Succeeded by | Jules Armand Dufaure |
| In office 25 February 1848 – 7 June 1848 | |
| Preceded by | Michel Hébert |
| Succeeded by | Eugène Bethmont |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Isaac Moïse (1796-04-30)30 April 1796 |
| Died | 10 February 1880(1880-02-10) (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Montparnasse Cemetery,Paris |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature | .png) |
Isaac-Jacob Adolphe Crémieux (French:[adɔlfkʁemjø]; 30 April 1796 – 10 February 1880) was a French-Jewish lawyer and politician who served asMinister of Justice under theSecond Republic (1848) andGovernment of National Defense (1870–1871). Raised Jewish, he served as president of theAlliance Israélite Universelle (1863–67; 1868–80),[1] secured French citizenship forAlgerian Jews underFrench rule through theCrémieux Decree (1870),[1] and was a staunch defender of the rights of theJews of France.[2]
He was born inNîmes to a wealthyPapal Jew family, which had migrated from the papal enclave ofCarpentras to Nîmes. He married a member of the Silny family in 1824.
After theJuly Revolution of 1830 he came toParis, formed connections with numerous political figures, even withKing Louis Philippe, and became a brilliant defender of Liberal ideas in the law courts and in the press. Examples include hisÉloge funèbre ofthe bishop Grégoire (1830), hisMémoire for the political rehabilitation ofMarshal Ney (1833), and his plea for the accused of April 1835. Elected deputy in 1842, he was one of the leaders in the campaign against theGuizot ministry, and his eloquence contributed greatly to the success of his party.[3]
From 1834 until his death, Crémieux served as vice-president of the "Consistoire Central des Israélites de France" (CentralConsistory of the Jews of France), the administrative agency for all French Jews. On 24 February 1848 he was chosen by the Republicans as a member of the provisional government, and as minister of justice he secured the decrees abolishing thedeath penalty for political offenses, and making the office of judge immovable.[3] That same year he was instrumental in declaring an end toslavery in all French Colonies, for which some have called him the FrenchAbraham Lincoln.[citation needed] When the conflict between theRepublicans andSocialists broke out, he resigned office but continued to sit in the constituent assembly. At first he supportedLouis Napoleon, but when he discovered the prince's imperial ambitions he broke with him.[3]
Arrested and imprisoned on 2 December 1851, he remained in private life until November 1869, when he was elected as a Republican deputy for Paris. On 4 September 1870 he was again chosen as a member of the government of national defense, and resumed his position in the ministry of justice. He then formed part of theDelegation of Tours, but took no part in the completion of the organization of defense. He resigned with his colleagues on 14 February 1871. Eight months later he was elected deputy, thenlife senator in 1875.[3]
Crémieux did much to better the condition of the Jews. In 1827, he advocated the repeal of theMore judaico, legislation stigmatizing the Jews left over from pre-revolutionary France.[4] He was an early supporter of theAlliance Israelite Universelle—established in Paris in 1860—serving as its president from 1863 to 1867, then again from 1868 until his death in 1880.[1] In 1866 Crémieux traveled toSaint Petersburg to successfully defend Jews ofSaratov who had been accused in a case ofblood libel.[4]
Crémieux published aRecueil of his political cases (1869), and theActes de la délégation de Tours et de Bordeaux (2 vols, 1871).[3]
While in the government of the national defence, he secured fullcitizenship for the Jews in French-ruledAlgeria, through the Crémieux Decree (décret no 136 du 24 octobre 1870). The decree allowed for nativeJews to becomeFrench citizens whileMuslimArabs andBerbers were excluded and remained under the second-class ‘indigenous’ status outlined in the Code de l'Indigénat. This set the scene for deteriorating relations between the Muslim and Jewish communities, and later proved fateful in theAlgerian War of Independence, after which the vast majority of Algerian Jews emigrated to France.
Initiated freemason in 1818, at "Bienfait Anonyme"Grand Orient de France lodge in Nîmes, he joined "Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera" lodge in Paris during 1830.[5] In 1866 he joinedSuprême Conseil de France and became 33rd degree and Great Commander in 1868. During his masonic career, he encouraged republicans and monarchists to work together.[6][7][8][9]
Crémieux died in Paris in 1880 and was buried atMontparnasse cemetery.
A street is named after him in Jerusalem'sGerman Colony neighborhood,[2] as well as in centralTel Aviv and theFrench Carmel district inHaifa.
He is the subject of two lithographs by Honoré Daumier, both poking fun at his ugliness. The first was in 1848 in the "Representatives Represented" series, with caption "Great lover of change, nothing would be missing from his happiness if one day he changed his face!" The other was a year later, captioned, "Mr. Crémieux looking for an apartment: If I rent this lodging, I would like the landlord to take down this dreadful portrait... oh! but, Good God, it's a mirror!..."
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Crémieux, Isaac Moïse".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 407.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1848 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1870–1871 | Succeeded by |
French Provisional Government of 1848 (24 February 1848 to 9 May 1848) | ||
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| Navy and Colonies | François Arago, Sub-secretaryVictor Schœlcher | |
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French Executive Commission of 1848 (9 May 1848 to 24 June 1848) | ||
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