François-Charles-Louis Comte (1782–1837) was a French lawyer, journalist and political writer.
Biography
In 1814, Comte, along with
Charles Dunoyer
Charles Dunoyer Barthélemy-Charles-Pierre-Joseph Dunoyer de Segonzac (20 May 1786 – 4 December 1862), better known as Charles Dunoyer, was a French economist of the French Liberal School.
Dunoyer gave one of the earliest theories of economic c ...
, founded with ''
Le Censeur'', a liberal journal. In 1820, he was found guilty of attacks against the King and went into exile in Switzerland, where as professor of natural law he taught at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
[Liggio, Leonard, P.'' Charlles Dunoyer and French Classical Liberalism'' (1977) Journal of Libertarian Studies, Vol. 1. No. 3. Pergamon Press, p. 163](_blank)
Retrieved 14 September 2010. Following comments made by Fredric Jean Witt, a revolutionary, to the Bavarian police and an intervention by the French police, Comte was forced to leave Switzerland.
Comte took refuge in England for eighteen months where he became acquainted with
, but returned to France in 1825 and began contributing to the ''Revue Americaine''.
In 1827, he published ''Traité de législation'' (''A Treatise on Law''; 4 volumes, in-8) which outlined laws governing the development of companies and the reasons why development might be held back. The book established his reputation and earned him a
Montyon Prize
The Montyon Prize (french: Prix Montyon) is a series of prizes awarded annually by the French Academy of Sciences and the Académie française. They are endowed by the French benefactor Baron de Montyon.
History
Prior to the start of the French R ...
. As an economist, he followed the doctrines of
Jean-Baptiste Say
Jean-Baptiste Say (; 5 January 1767 – 15 November 1832) was a liberal French economist and businessman who argued in favor of competition, free trade and lifting restraints on business. He is best known for Say's law—also known as the law o ...
whose daughter he married. Comte was active in the opposition which led to the
July Revolution of 1830
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...
as he refused to pay taxes until
Charles X
Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Lou ...
revoked a series anti-liberal decrees and was elected a deputy in the
Sarthe
Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...
in 1831 and again in 1834.
In 1832, he was elected to the
Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
.
Quotes
Some quotes which give a good feel for his work:
Newspapers could be of great utility, but the great importance which they attach to simple literary discussions, the indifference they have for anything which smacks of legislation, and the habit they have acquired of adulation (of the government), prevents one from hoping that they will busy themselves in enlightening citizens of their true interests. What they do not do, I propose to undertake.
The revolution which brought about in France the fall of the Imperial government, without changing at all the direction of my ideas, forced me to choose a means of publication different from that which I had at first proposed. It seemed to me that in treating in succession questions of politics or legislation which circumstances threw up I would achieve my aim most surely and promptly. Observations applied to those events which one witnesses have greater impact than those observations made from a distance. The freedom to publicly present one's opinions, which the previous government had completely destroyed, was eventually proclaimed and it was imperative to take advantage of it. Because it is the same of liberty and power, one runs the great risk of losing it if one does not seize it the very instant when it appears.[''Traité de législation'', 3rd ed, p. xiii.]
An opponent of monarchy, Comte nevertheless saw how even a democratic government retained certain things in common with the old order, saying:
What must never be lost sight of is that a public functionary, in his capacity as functionary, produces absolutely nothing; that, on the contrary, he exists only on the products of the industrious class; and that he can consume nothing that has not been taken from the producers.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Charles Comte Bio and Biblio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comte, Charles
French classical liberals
French economists
French tax resisters
Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques
1782 births
1837 deaths