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Jean Antoine Ernest Constans (3 May 1833 – 7 April 1913) was a French politician andcolonial administrator.
Born inBéziers,Hérault, he began his career as professor oflaw. In 1876 he was elected deputy forToulouse to theFrench Third Republic's Chamber, and sat in theLeft Centre as one of the 363 of 16 May 1877. Re-elected in October 1877, he joinedLouis de Freycinet asMinister of the Interior in May 1880, holding this portfolio until November 1881.[1] In 1887–1888, he was the firstGovernor-General of French Indochina. On 22 February 1889 he assumed the same office inPierre Tirard's cabinet.[1][2]
He became prominent as a stalwart opponent of theBoulangist party, constituting theSenate as a high court of justice, and taking police measures against theLigue des patriotes. He resigned on 1 March 1890 but his resignation involved the fall of the cabinet, and he resumed his portfolio in the Freycinet cabinet the same month.[1][3]
On 29 December 1889 he was elected senator by thedépartement of theHaute-Garonne. He was violently attacked by the press and the Boulangist deputies but did not resign until the whole cabinet withdrew, on 26 February 1892. In December 1898 he was appointedambassador to theOttoman Empire[4] and remained in office until 1909. His attempt to join the Senate in 1912 was unsuccessful.[5]
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1922)."Constans, Jean Antoine Ernest".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 30 (12th ed.). London & New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company. p. 739.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Constans, Jean Antoine Ernest".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 986–987.