Georges Trouillot
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Georges Marie Denis Gabriel Trouillot (7 May 1851 – 20 November 1916) was a French Radical politician. He played a central role in developing the law of 1901 that governed associations such as agricultural cooperative. He was Minister of the Colonies in 1898 and again in 1909–10. He was Minister of Industry, Commerce and Posts in 1902–05 and again in 1905–06. He published several books, including both poetry and political subjects.


Early years (1851–89)

Georges Marie Denis Gabriel Trouillot was born on 7 May 1851 in
Champagnole Champagnole () is a commune in the Jura department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Champagnole has the publicity tag of "Pearl of the Jura" and is a small town at the geographical centre of Jura tourism. It stands on ...
, Jura. He studied classics at the
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
college in
Dole Dole may refer to: Places * Dole, Ceredigion, Wales * Dole, Idrija, Slovenia * Dole, Jura, France ** Arrondissement of Dole * Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska * Dole, Ljubušk ...
, then studied law in
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
. He became an attorney in
Lons-le-Saunier Lons-le-Saunier () is a Communes of France, commune and capital of the Jura (department), Jura Department, eastern France. Geography The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura massif. The Jur ...
. On 2 August 1870 he was appointed sub-lieutenant in the National Mobile Guard of the Jura department. He was one of the founders of the Jura Republican Union. He was a member of the general council of Jura for the canton of
Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...
, then municipal councilor in 1877. He was elected mayor of Lons-le-Saunier. In 1889 he was named president of the Bar.


National politics (1889–1916)


Deputy

Trouillot ran in the general election of 1889, and was elected in the first round for the constituency of Lons-le-Saunier. He joined the Union of Progressives and Radical Left in the chamber. He was also elected president of the Jura departmental assembly. He was reelected deputy in 1893 and in 1898. In 1891 Trouillot proposed a law against abortion and contraception. Discussion was long delayed, and the proposal was not passed by the Senate until January 1919. Trouillot introduced a bill to let anyone who held the degree of ''licence en droit'' practice as an ''avocat'', removing the authority of the Order of Advocates to approve new members of their profession. In response, the Paris Order struck him off their register. The case went to court and Trouillot was reinstated on the basis that the disbarment hearings had not followed due process. The decision caused outrage among the leading advocates. Trouillot assisted
René Viviani Jean Raphaël Adrien René Viviani (; 8 November 18637 September 1925) was a French politician of the Third Republic, who served as Prime Minister for the first year of World War I. He was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in French Algeria. In France ...
in introduction of the law of 1 December 1900 that allowed women to practice as advocates following a campaign by
Jeanne Chauvin Jeanne Chauvin (22 April 1862 – 7 September 1926) was the second woman to obtain a degree in law in France, in 1890. Her application to be sworn in as a lawyer was at first rejected, but after the law was changed in 1900 she was the second French ...
, who became the second woman to be admitted to the profession.


Minister of Colonies

The public scandal of the Dreyfus Affair blew up in January 1898 with
Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...
's publication in ''
L'Aurore ''L’Aurore'' (; ) was a literary, liberal, and socialist newspaper published in Paris, France, from 1897 to 1914. Its most famous headline was Émile Zola's '' J'Accuse...!'' leading into his article on the Dreyfus Affair. The newspaper was ...
'' of his open letter entitled ''
J'Accuse…! "''J'Accuse...!''" (; "I Accuse...!") is an open letter that was published on 13 January 1898 in the newspaper ''L'Aurore'' by Émile Zola in response to the Dreyfus affair. Zola addressed President of France Félix Faure and accused his govern ...
''. Trouillot accused the premier
Jules Méline Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898. Biography Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 1 ...
of practicing the politics of division. Méline resigned during the debate of 14 June 1898. Trouillot was appointed to the new Radical government formed late that month. He was Minister of the Colonies in the second cabinet of
Henri Brisson Eugène Henri Brisson (; 31 July 183514 April 1912) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France for a period in 1885-1886 and again in 1898. Biography He was born at Bourges (Cher), and followed his father's profession of advocate. Havi ...
, and held office from 28 June 1898 to 26 October 1898. Trouillot saw little value in the French enclaves in India, and told the Foreign Minister that he would be willing to give them all to the British in exchange for
the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
. The Polynesian island of
Mangareva Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north. Mangareva has a permanent pop ...
was more important to him than the French possessions in India. His views were not shared by the inhabitants of Mahé, who said it was capable of "rivaling in salubriousness with the best of sanatoriums of the Presidency of Madras." This was a time of rapid colonial expansion in Africa, where officers were given much freedom of action as long as they succeeded in acquiring territory. Trouillot said in a speech in 1898, "Let us give ourselves a birth incentive so that we can once again become the world's foremost colonizing people." In a decree of 7 August 1898 Trouillot created an office of financial control for
French West Africa French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...
under the direction of the governor-general. This gave the colonialist a significant increase in independence from the metropolitan government. In July Trouillot wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Théophile Delcassé Théophile Delcassé (1 March 185222 February 1923) was a French politician who served as foreign minister from 1898 to 1905. He is best known for his hatred of Germany and efforts to secure alliances with Russia and Great Britain that became t ...
, that Major
Jean-Baptiste Marchand :''for others with similar names, see Jean Marchand General Jean-Baptiste Marchand (22 November 1863 – 14 January 1934) was a French military officer and explorer in Africa. Marchand is best known for commanding the French expeditionary ...
was approaching
Fashoda Kodok or Kothok ( ar, كودوك), formerly known as Fashoda, is a town in the north-eastern South Sudanese state of Upper Nile State. Kodok is the capital of Shilluk country, formally known as the Shilluk Kingdom. Shilluk had been an independe ...
on the Nile, and the British general
Herbert Kitchener Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, (; 24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was a senior British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his scorched earth policy against the Boers, h ...
would soon also arrive there. Delcassé did not reply until September, when he said Marchand should return before reaching Fashoda. By that time it was too late to prevent the encounter, so the letter was mainly so that the French could disavow Marchand if things went wrong, as it did in the
Fashoda Incident The Fashoda Incident, also known as the Fashoda Crisis ( French: ''Crise de Fachoda''), was an international incident and the climax of imperialist territorial disputes between Britain and France in East Africa, occurring in 1898. A French exped ...
.


Law of Associations

Trouillot played a central role in developing the Law of Associations. He was rapporteur for all the parliamentary debates on this law, working closely with the head of government,
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France. Early life Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René Wal ...
. The law defined the legal status of associations such as mutual societies and agricultural cooperatives, and was developed through study of associations in the Jura, elsewhere in Europe and in the United States. According to Trouillot, hostility to religious congregations had always been the reason why efforts to allow freedom of association had failed in the past, Trouillot's answer was to curb the powers of associations to prevent abuse. The law required almost all the religious orders and congregations in France to obtain legal authorization from parliament, and disallowed any member of an unauthorized order or congregation from teaching or managing a school. The Law of Associations was passed in July 1901. The church complained that the law resulted in a cascade of closures of schools and ecclesiastical establishments.


Other activities

Trouillot was Minister of Industry, Commerce and Posts from 7 June 1902 to 18 January 1905 in the cabinet of
Émile Combes Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905. Career Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...
. Trouillot, who was known for his anti-clericalism, followed a traditional policy in dealing with industrial issues. In March 1904 his predecessor
Alexandre Millerand Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the sta ...
complained that his social program had been replaced by a program of "monk-hunting". However, during a strike of textile workers in the fall of 1903 Trouillot agreed in substance with the strikers' complaints against the manufacturers, and the Chamber voted almost unanimously for arbitration to resume, and for a thorough inquiry into the textile industry. Trouillot was again Minister of Industry, Commerce and Posts from 12 November 1905 to 9 March 1906 in the second cabinet of
Maurice Rouvier Maurice Rouvier (; 17 April 1842 – 7 June 1911) was a French statesman of the "Opportunist" faction, who served as the Prime Minister of France. He is best known for his financial policies and his unpopular policies designed to avoid a ruptur ...
. Trouillot was elected Senator for the Jura on 7 January 1906. He was again Minister of the Colonies from 24 July 1909 to 2 November 1910 in the cabinet of
Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliat ...
. On 31 May 1910 he decreed that the administrators of
French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...
had the power to adjudicate offenses committed by the indigenous people that could not be tried by the French courts. Through his influence, most young men in the Jura were posted to the nearby garrisons at Lons-le-Saunier and Bourg for their military service. An unplanned consequence was that at the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(1914–18) the department suffered disproportionate losses. Trouillot's canton of Beaufort suffered particularly large losses. Georges Trouillot died in Paris on 20 November 1916. His daughter married the future colonial administrator
Lucien Saint Lucien Saint (26 April 1867 – 24 February 1938) was a French administrator and politician. Early years Lucien Charles Xavier Saint was born on 26 April 1867 in Évreux, Eure, where his father was a doctor. He obtained a law degree in Paris, an ...
.


Publications

Trouillot was a distinguished man of letters, and published several books. These included ''Du contrat d'association'' (1902) and ''Pour l'idée laïque'' (1906). He also contributed to several journals, notably ''Voltaire'' and ''
Le Siècle ''Le Siècle'' ("''The Age''") is a daily newspaper that was published from 1836 to 1932 in France. History In 1836, ''Le Siècle'' was founded as a paper that supported constitutional monarchism. However, when the July Monarchy came to an end ...
''. * * * * * * *


Notes


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trouillot, Georges Marie Denis Gabriel 1851 births 1916 deaths People from Champagnole Politicians from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Independent Radical politicians French Ministers of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs French Ministers of the Colonies Members of the 5th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 8th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Senators of the Third Republic Senators of Jura (department)