Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot (26 September 1796, in
Falaise, Calvados
Falaise () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France.
Geography
Falaise lies on the river Ante, a tributary of the river Dives, about southeast of Caen.
History
The area around Falaise has bee ...
– 2 October 1866, in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
) was a French diplomat and politician.
Family
He was the son of
Étienne-François Turgot Étienne-François Turgot, last Lord of Brucourt, marquis of Soumont, (16 June 1721, Paris – 21 October 1789, Paris) was an 18th-century French naturalist, knight of Malta and governor of French Guiana.
His knowledge of natural history, surgery ...
(1721–1789), marquis de Soumont; his great-uncle was
Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune; his great grandfather was
Michel-Étienne Turgot.
He married Louise Mouton de Lobau, in 1830, daughter of
Georges Mouton
Georges Mouton, comte de Lobau (21 February 1770 – 27 November 1838) was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France.
Biography
Born in Phalsbourg, Lorraine, he enlisted in the French Revolutionary Army ...
, comte Lobau.
He had children Jacques-Louis Turgot, who married Tecla de Montaignac in 1867; and Madame Dubois de L'Estaing.
Career
He left
Saint-Cyr, and was a trooper in the guard who followed
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
to Ghent.
He was a Cuirassiers officer in the Royal Guard under the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
, he resigned on 26 July 1830.
He rallied to
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
, and entered the
House of Peers in 1832, where he sat with the right, supporters of conservative politics. After the presidential election of 1848, he became a fervent supporter of
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
. He had no official business when, on 26 October 1851, he was appointed foreign minister in the cabinet containing St. Arnaud and Maupas, charged with preparing a coup. Without doubt the Marquis de Turgot owed this amazing promotion to his name, as much as his social position. Although not required, apparently he confided in the coup, and he fully supported, as a man of order, the new regime, that was responsible for admission by the European embassies. On 28 July 1852, he was replaced by Drouyn Lhuys, and was appointed senator.
In April 1853, he obtained the post of ambassador in Madrid. During his mission, he fought a duel with his U.S. counterpart, in which he was seriously injured. Recovered, he became ambassador in August 1858 in Bern, where he remained for eight years until his death. Turgot had said: “Colonies are like fruits which cling to the tree only till they ripen.” He had predicted that as soon as America can take care of herself, she would break away from Britain.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turgot, Louis Felix Etienne, Marquis De
1796 births
1866 deaths
French Foreign Ministers
People from Falaise, Calvados