Félix Le Pelletier de la Houssaye (25 March 1663,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

– 20 September 1723,

) was a French statesman who became

Controller-General of Finances The Controller-General or Comptroller-General of Finances (french: Contrôleur général des finances) was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1661 to 1791. It replaced the former position of Superintendent of Finances ('' ...

. From a family with a long history of service to the French king, Le Pelletier de la Houssaye held several posts, including ''Intendant'' (representative of the royal power in the provinces), a post he held in

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...

(1694), at

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

in Rouergue (1698 - 1700) and at

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

(1700 - 1715). Under the Regency, the protection of d'Aguessau allowed him to enter the entourage of

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to in French as ''le Régent''. H ...

, whose properties he administered After the flight of

John Law John Law may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Law (artist) (born 1958), American artist * John Law (comics), comic-book character created by Will Eisner * John Law (film director), Hong Kong film director * John Law (musician) (born 1961) ...

, he was named Controller-General of Finances on 12 December 1720. He also became Provost and Master of Ceremonies of the

Order of the Holy Spirit , status = Abolished in 1830 after the July RevolutionRecognised as a dynastic order of chivalry by the ICOC , founder = Henry III of France , head_title = Grand Master , head = Disputed:Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou Jean, Count of Pari ...

on 25 March 1721. In 1701, while Intendant of Alsace, Le Pelletier de la Houssaye issued a ruling permitting Jewish worship in clandestine synagogues in response to a complaint brought by an abbé. It reads, "The worship which the Jews established in Reichshoffen is not as public as one would have you believe. There is no synagogue ''per se'', only, by a custom long established in this province, when there are seven Jewish families in one locale, those who compose them assemble, without scandal, in a house of their sect for readings and prayers."Kaplan, Benjamin J., ''Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe,'' Harvard University Press, 2007, Chapter 8, p. 189.

Sources

A. de Maurepas and A.Boulant,'' Les ministres et les ministères du siècle des Lumières, 1715-1789'', Paris : Christian, 1996

References

External links

Biography on the site of the Comité pour l'histoire économique et financière de la France
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Pelletier de La Houssaye, Felix 18th-century French politicians French Ministers of Finance 1663 births 1723 deaths