Louis-Mathieu Molé | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 6 September 1836 – 31 March 1839 | |
| Monarch | Louis Philippe I |
| Preceded by | Adolphe Thiers |
| Succeeded by | Jean-de-Dieu Soult |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 11 August 1830 – 2 November 1830 | |
| Monarch | Louis Philippe I |
| Preceded by | Jean-Baptiste Jourdan |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas Joseph Maison |
| Minister of the Navy and Colonies | |
| In office 12 September 1817 – 29 December 1818 | |
| Monarch | Louis XVIII |
| Prime Minister | The Duke of Richelieu |
| Preceded by | Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr |
| Succeeded by | Pierre-Barthélémy d'Albarèdes |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 20 November 1813 – 1 April 1814 | |
| Monarch | Napoleon I |
| Preceded by | Claude Ambroise Régnier |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Henrion de Pansey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1781-01-24)24 January 1781 Paris, France |
| Died | 23 November 1855(1855-11-23) (aged 74) Épinay-Champlâtreux, Val-d'Oise,French Empire |
| Political party | Nonpartisan(1806–15; 1830–48) Doctrinaire(1815–1830) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Clotilde and Élisabeth |
| Profession | Writer, diplomat |
| Signature |  |
Louis-Mathieu, comte Molé (French:[lwimatjøkɔ̃tmɔle]; 24 January 1781 – 23 November 1855) was a Frenchstatesman and a close friend and associate ofLouis Philippe I, King of the French during theJuly Monarchy (1830–1848).
Molé was born in Paris. His father, a president of theparlement of Paris, who came of the family of the famous president noted below, wasguillotined during theTerror. Count Molé's early days were spent inSwitzerland and in England with his mother, a relative ofLamoignon-Malesherbes.
On his return to France, he studied at theEcole Centrale des Travaux Publics, and his social education was accomplished in the salon of Pauline de Beaumont, the friend ofChâteaubriand andJoubert. A volume ofEssais de morale et de politique introduced him to the notice ofNapoleon, who attached him to the staff of thecouncil of state. He became master of requests in 1806, and next year prefect of theCôte-d'Or, Councillor of State and Director-General of Bridges and Roads in 1809, andCount of the Empire in the autumn of the same year.
He served as Napoleon's advisor on Jewish affairs and was heavily involved with Napoleon's gathering of a JewishGrand Sanhedrin in 1807. Mole initially did not supportJewish emancipation, though he seems to have moderated his position over the course of his involvement with the Sanhedrin and particularlyAbraham Furtado.
In November 1813, he becameMinister of Justice. Although he resumed his functions as Director-General during theHundred Days, he excused himself from taking his seat in theCouncil of State and was apparently not seriously compromised, forLouis XVIII confirmed his appointment as Director-General and made him a peer of France. Molé supported the policy of theduc de Richelieu, who in 1817 entrusted to him the direction of the Ministry of Marine, which he held until December 1818.
From that time, he belonged to the moderate opposition, and he accepted the result of therevolution of 1830 without enthusiasm. He wasMinister of Foreign Affairs in the first cabinet ofLouis-Philippe I's reign, and was confronted with the task of reconciling the European powers to the change of government. The real direction of foreign affairs, however, lay less in his hands than in those ofTalleyrand, who had gone to London as the ambassador of the new king.
After a few months in office, Molé retired, and it was not until 1836 that the fall ofThiers led to his becomingPrime Minister of a new government, in which he held the portfolio of foreign affairs. One of his first actions was the release of the ex-ministers ofCharles X, and he had to deal with the disputes with Switzerland and with the Strasburg coup ofLouis-Napoléon. He withdrew the French garrison fromAncona, but pursued an active policy inMexico and inAlgeria.
Personal and political differences rapidly arose between Molé and his chief colleague,Guizot, and led to an open rupture in March 1837 in face of the general opposition to a grant to theduc de Nemours. After some attempts to secure a new combination, Molé reconstructed his ministry in April, Guizot being excluded. The general election in the autumn gave him no fresh support in the Chamber of Deputies, while he had now to face a formidable coalition between Guizot, the Left Centre under Thiers, and politicians of the Dynastic Left and the Republican Left. Molé, supported by Louis Philippe, held his ground against the general hostility until the beginning of 1839, when, after acrid discussions on the address, the chamber was dissolved. The new house showed little change in the strength of parties, but Molé resigned on 31 March 1839.
A year later he was elected to theAcadémie française, and though he continued to speak frequently, he took no important share in party politics. Louis Philippe sought his help in his vain efforts to form a ministry in February 1848. After therevolution, he was deputy for theGironde to the Constituent Assembly, and in 1849 to the Legislative Assembly, where he was one of the leaders of the Right until the coup d'état on 2 December 1851 drove him from public life.
He died in the family home atChâteau de Champlâtreux [fr][1] inÉpinay (Seine-et-Oise) on 23 November 1855 and was buried in the little church of the village.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Molé, Louis Mathieu".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 653.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of France 1836–1839 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of France 1848 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 6 September 1836 – 31 March 1839 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ministers of Marine and the Colonies 12 September 1817 – 29 December 1818 | Succeeded by |
First ministry of Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis de Richelieu (26 September 1815 to 29 December 1818) | ||
|---|---|---|
Head of state: KingLouis XVIII | ||
| President of the council and Foreign Affairs |  Richelieu | |
| Interior | ||
| Justice | ||
| War | ||
| Finance | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| Police | ||
First ministry of Louis-Philippe (11 August 1830 to 2 November 1830) | ||
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Head of state: KingLouis Philippe I | ||
| Interior | .svg) | |
| Justice | ||
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| War | ||
| Finance | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| Public Education, Religious Affairs | ||
| Ministers without portfolio | ||
First cabinet of Louis Mathieu Molé (6 September 1836 to 15 April 1837) | ||
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Head of state: KingLouis Philippe I | ||
| President of the council | ||
| War | ||
| Justice | ||
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| Interior |
| |
| Finance | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| Public Education | ||
| Commerce | ||
| Public Works, Agriculture and Commerce | ||
Second cabinet of Louis Mathieu Molé (15 April 1837 to 31 March 1839) | ||
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Head of state: KingLouis Philippe I | ||
| President of the council | ||
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| Interior | ||
| Justice and Religious Affairs: |
| |
| War | ||
| Finance | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| Public Education | ||
| Public Works, Agriculture and Commerce | ||
First cabinet of Napoleon (18 May 1804 to 1 April 1814) | ||
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Head of state:Napoleon | ||
| Secretary of State |  Napoleon | |
| Foreign Affairs | ||
| Interior | ||
| Justice | ||
| War | ||
| War Administration | ||
| Finance | ||
| Treasury | ||
| Navy and Colonies | ||
| Police | ||
| Religious affairs | ||
| Manufacturing and Commerce | ||
Preceded byFrench Consulate • Followed byFrench provisional government of 1814 | ||
