Favre

Favre, Jules Claude (1809-1880), a French statesman, was born at Lyons. He studied law at Paris, and was admitted to the bar. He was an advocate of republicanism, and took part in the Revolution of 1830, and again in that of 1848. He was elected deputy for the department of Loire, and became a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He led the Mountain (q.v.) against Louis Napoleon after the coup d'etat, and then retired from politics and practised law. In 1858 he defended Orsini when on his trial for an attempt to kill the Emperor. He again entered the Legislature as member for Paris, and headed the Republican party. On the downfall of the Empire he was appointed (1870) Minister of Foreign Affairs; and his neglect or mistake in 1871, in permitting the Paris National Guard to retain its arms, gave opportunity for the Communistic outbreak, and in his negotiations with Bismarck he failed to include General Bourbaki's army in the conditions. These and minor mistakes led to his retirement, and he returned to his practice of the law. He was a good and effective speaker. He was elected to the Academy in 1867.