Laurent Cunin-Gridaine (10 July 1778 – 19 April 1859) was a French businessman and politician. He was a deputy from 1827 to 1848, and Minister of Agriculture and Commerce from 1839 to 1848, with one short interruption.

Early years

Laurent Cunin-Gridaine was born in

Sedan, Ardennes Sedan () is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. It is also the chef-lieu (administrative centre) of the arrondissement of the same name. Sedan is notable as the site of two major battles between ...

, on 10 July 1778. He started work for M. Gridaine, a clothier in Sedan, as a workman. His employer recognized his intelligence and took him as his associate, and then as his son. He became wealthy, and was elected a municipal councilor in Sedan. On 17 November 1827 Cunin-Gridaine ran successfully for election as deputy in the first electoral district of the Ardennes (Mézières). He joined the constitutionalist opposition, spoke in favor of press freedom and was a signatory of the Address of the 221. He was reelected on 12 July 1830.

July monarchy

Cunin-Gridaine was a strong supporter of the government after the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

of 1830. He was named to the general council of the Ardennes and was appointed president of the commercial court of Sedan. He was reelected as deputy on 5 July 1831, 21 June 1834, 4 November 1837 and 2 March 1839. In 1834 he transferred management of his company to his two sons. On 12 May 1837 he was named Minister of Commerce in the ministry of

Jean-de-Dieu Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman. He was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars, and served three times as President of the Council of ...

, holding office until the cabinet fell on 29 February 1840. He returned as Minister of Commerce on 29 October 1840 in the new Guizot cabinet, remaining in office until the

February Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

overthrew the monarchy. During his ministry he organized the Industrial Exhibition of 1844.

Last years

Cunin-Gridaine returned to private life after the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

. He was a member of the international jury of the

Exposition Universelle (1855) The of 1855 (), better known in English as the 1855 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, from 15 May to 15 November 1855. Its full official title was the . It was the first of ten major expositions ...

. He became a Knight of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

in 1828, an officer in 1833 and a Grand Officer on 29 October 1843. Cunin-Gridaine died in Sedan on 19 April 1859.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cunin-Gridaine, Laurent 1778 births 1859 deaths Ministers of agriculture and commerce of France