Adolphe Charles Emmanuel Le Flô (2 November 1804, Lesneven, Finistère – 16 November 1887,

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overha ...

) was a French Army general and politician. Le Flô left Saint-Cyr in 1825. After serving in

Constantine, Algeria Constantine ( ar, قسنطينة '), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Constantine the Gre ...

, he became colonel on 20 October 1844, and brigadier general in 1848. Le Flô was minister plenipotentiary to Russia, in 1848. In April 1848 he was elected deputy from

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected ...

, he was reelected in May 1849 to the Legislative Assembly he became quaestor. He fought the policy of the

Napoleon III of France 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 ...

, which caused him to be banned after the coup of 2 December 1851. He took refuge in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

where he met

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. He won the friendship of the Czar of Russia. He returned to France in 1857. In 1870, after the proclamation of the Third Republic, Le Flô became

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in ...

in the Government of National Defense and appointed Major General. He was minister of the war on 19 February 1871, in the Thiers government, but resigned in June 1871, after the siege of Paris and the Bloody Week of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

. Le Flô was elected deputy of Brittany from 1871 to 1876. He was appointed ambassador to St. Petersburg from 1871 to 1879 and used his relationship with them to neutralize the aggressive policy of Germany in 1875. He was promoted Grand Officer in the Legion of Honor. Le Flô has a statue in Lesneven, by Cyprian Godebski.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flo, Adolphe Charles Le 1804 births 1887 deaths People from Finistère French generals 19th-century French diplomats 19th-century French military personnel French people of the Franco-Prussian War French Ministers of War Politicians of the French Third Republic Ambassadors of France to the Russian Empire