René Goblet (; 26 November 1828 – 13 September 1905) was a French politician,

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister i ...

for a period in 1886–1887. He was born at

Aire-sur-la-Lys Aire-sur-la-Lys (, literally ''Aire on the Lys''; vls, Ariën-aan-de-Leie) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Geography The commune is located 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Saint-Omer, at the junct ...

, Pas-de-Calais and was trained in law. Under the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

, he helped found a Liberal journal, ''Le Progrès de la Somme'', and in July 1871 he was sent by the ''département'' of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

to the National Assembly, where he took his place on the extreme

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album '' Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * ...

, as a member of the Republican Union parliamentary group (''Union républicaine''). Having failed to secure election in 1876, he was returned for

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

the following year. He held a minor government office in 1879, and in 1882 became minister of the interior in the Freycinet cabinet. He was minister of education, fine arts and religion in

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 ...

's first cabinet in 1885, and again under Freycinet in 1886, when he greatly increased his reputation by an able defence of the government's education proposals. Meanwhile, his independence and outspokenness had alienated him from many of his party, and throughout his life he was frequently in conflict with his political associates, from

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, Ga ...

downwards. On the fall of the Freycinet cabinet in December he formed a cabinet in which be reserved for himself the portfolios of the interior and of religion. The Goblet cabinet was unpopular from the outset, and it was with difficulty that anybody could be found to accept the ministry of foreign affairs, which was finally given to Gustave Flourens. Then came what is known as the Schnaebele incident, the arrest on the German frontier of a French official named Schnaebele, which caused immense excitement in France. For some days Goblet took no definite decision, but left Flourens, who stood for peace, to fight it out with

General Boulanger Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891), nicknamed Général Revanche ("General Revenge"), was a French general and politician. An enormously popular public figure during the second decade of the Third Repub ...

, the minister of war, who urged the despatch of an ultimatum. Although he finally intervened on the side of Flourens, and peace was preserved, his weakness in the face of Boulangist propaganda became a national danger. Defeated on the budget in May 1887, his government resigned; but he returned to office next year as foreign minister in the radical administration of

Charles Floquet Charles Thomas Floquet (; 2 October 1828 – 18 January 1896) was a French lawyer and statesman. Biography He was born at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port ( Basses-Pyrénées). Charles Floquet is the son of Pierre Charlemagne Floquet and Marie Léocadie ...

. He was defeated at the polls by a Boulangist candidate in 1889, and sat in the senate from 1891 to 1893 when he returned to the popular chamber. In association with

Édouard Locroy Édouard is both a French given name and a surname, equivalent to Edward in English. Notable people with the name include: * Édouard Balladur (born 1929), French politician * Édouard Boubat (1923–1999), French photographer * Édouard Colonne (1 ...

Ferdinand Sarrien Jean Marie Ferdinand Sarrien (; (15 October 1840 – 28 November 1915) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was born in Bourbon-Lancy, Saône-et-Loire and died in Paris. He headed a cabinet supported by the ''Bloc des gauches'' (L ...

and

Paul Peytral Paul Peytral (20 January 1842 – 30 November 1919) was a French politician of the French Third Republic. Career Paul Louis Peytral was born on 20 January 1842 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône. He was elected deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône on 4 Se ...

he drew up a republican programme which they put forward in the ''Petite Republique francaise''. At the elections of 1898 he was defeated, and from then on took little part in public affairs. He died in Paris.

References

Goblet's Ministry, 16 December 1886 – 30 May 1887

*René Goblet – President of the Council,

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

, and Minister of Worship *

Émile Flourens Émile Flourens (27 April 1841, in Paris – 7 January 1920) was a French politician, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Third Republic. He was son of the biologist Jean Pierre Flourens, and the younger brother of Gustave Flouren ...

–

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

Georges Boulanger Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891), nicknamed Général Revanche ("General Revenge"), was a French general and politician. An enormously popular public figure during the second decade of the Third Repub ...

– Minister of War * Albert Dauphin –

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

–

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Théophile Aube Hyacinthe Laurent Théophile Aube () (22 November 1826, Toulon, Var – 31 December 1890, Toulon) was a French admiral, who held several important governmental positions during the Third Republic. Aube served as Governor of Martinique between 187 ...

– Minister of Marine and Colonies *

Marcellin Berthelot Pierre Eugène Marcellin Berthelot (; 25 October 1827 – 18 March 1907) was a French chemist and Republican politician noted for the ThomsenBerthelot principle of thermochemistry. He synthesized many organic compounds from inorganic substa ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Jules Develle Jules Develle (12 April 1845 – 30 October 1919) was a French politician. Biography He was born in Bar-le-Duc to Claude Charles Develle, an insurance agent, and Anne Marguerite Rousselot. He studied law and became a lawyer. He discovered his pa ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Édouard Millaud – Minister of Public Works * Félix Granet – Minister of Posts and Telegraphs * Édouard Lockroy – Minister of Commerce and Industry {{DEFAULTSORT:Goblet, Rene 1828 births 1905 deaths People from Aire-sur-la-Lys Politicians from Hauts-de-France Republican Union (France) politicians Prime Ministers of France French interior ministers French Ministers of National Education French Foreign Ministers Members of the National Assembly (1871) Members of the 2nd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 3rd Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 4th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Senators of the Third Republic Senators of Seine (department) Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic