FAVRE, JULES. – Statesman, born in Lyon on 21 March 1809, died in Versailles on 20 January 1880.
A lawyer of great renown, he always belonged to the radical ranks and during the Second Republic opposed Oudinot’s expedition against the Roman Republic both in the press and in Parliament. After remaining outside political life for several years, he returned to the Chamber in 1858, and in that same year sensationally undertook the defence of Felice Orsini, who had attempted to assassinate Napoleon III. Although he was one of the leaders of the opposition, he supported the Italian campaign of ’59; particularly harsh were his attacks on imperial policy at the time of the expedition to Mexico and with regard to relations with the papacy, to which F. was implacably hostile.
After Sedan, he became vice-president of the provisional government and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and therefore had to conduct the negotiations with Bismark for the peace of Frankfurt in 1871.
Meanwhile the capture of Rome took place, and F., who, under the weight of his country’s misfortune, had refused to denounce the September Convention (v.), nevertheless left the Italian government a free hand. And while he dissuaded Pius IX from abandoning Italy and made him understand that France would not support the restoration of temporal power, he acted vigorously upon the government of Florence so that it would behave with the utmost moderation toward the Pontiff. He set forth the part he had played in this matter in an interesting book: Rome et la République française (Paris 1871).
Having fallen out with Thiers, on 23 July 1871 he left the ministry, continuing to participate in public affairs first as a deputy and then as a senator. His political and forensic speeches were published, and another work of an apologetic nature also deserves mention: Le gouvernement de la défense nationale; 1871-74 (Paris 1874).