André-Joseph, comte Abrial (19 March 1750 – 13 November 1828) was a French jurist and politician who served as Keeper of the Seals and Minister of Justice from 1799 to 1802. Born in

Annonay Annonay (; ) is a Communes of France, commune and largest city in the north of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It is the most populous commune in the Ardèche department although it is not the ...

, Abrial trained as a lawyer, though he suffered from a stutter which made his practice difficult. After the

Coup of 18 Brumaire The Coup of 18 Brumaire () brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of the French First Republic. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the Fr ...

, Napoleon appointed him Keeper of the Seals and Minister of Justice, telling him "It is not me, it is the public voice that nominates you." As minister, he reorganized the judicial system, took part in the development and implementation of the

Napoleonic Code The Napoleonic Code (), officially the Civil Code of the French (; simply referred to as ), is the French civil code established during the French Consulate in 1804 and still in force in France, although heavily and frequently amended since i ...

, in France and abroad. He was appointed to the

Sénat conservateur The (, "Conservative Senate") was an advisory body established in France during the French Consulate, Consulate following the French Revolution. It was established in 1799 under the Constitution of the Year VIII following the Napoleon Bonapa ...

in 1802.

References

1750 births 1828 deaths People from Annonay Ministers of justice of France Members of the Sénat conservateur Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Counts of the First French Empire {{France-politician-stub