Antoine de Laforêt
Antoine, comte de Laforêt | |
---|---|
Born | Aire-sur-la-Lys, Pas-de-Calais, France | 8 August 1756
Died | 2 August 1846 Villefrancœur Loir-et-Cher, France | (aged 89)
Nationality | French |
Occupation(s) | Diplomat, politician |
Known for | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Antoine René Charles Mathurin, comte de Laforêt (8 August 1756 – 2 August 1846 ) was a senior French diplomat. He was Consul General of France to the United States before the
Early years
Antoine René Charles Mathurin was born in Aire-sur-la-Lys, Pas-de-Calais, on 8 August 1756. In 1772 he was a sub-lieutenant in the Hainault regiment. He soon abandoned his military career to enter the diplomatic service. He joined the department of Foreign Affairs as a junior officer on 14 December 1774. In 1779 he was named secretary to the French legation in the United States, then vice-consul at Savannah, Philadelphia and New York. He was made Consul-General of France in the United States in 1788.[1] As a consul Laforêt authored reports analyzing the U.S. Constitution and the likelihood of its ratification.
During this time, Mathurin acquired large tracts of land in Virginia, which he converted into a plantation. He also befriended political exile and fellow French nobleman Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, collaborating with him in various business ventures. Talleyrand later played a significant role in Laforest's career advancement.[2] Mathurin returned to France in September 1793 and became assistant to Jean Antoine Joseph Fauchet, Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States. They were dismissed on 5 November year III, but the next year on 17 July 1797 Talleyrand, head of the department of External Relations, put Laforest in charge of finance and accounting.[1]
Consulate and Empire
During the Consulate Mathurin was Director of Posts. Laforest accompanied
On 1 May 1805 Mathurin was named Minister Plenipotentiary in
Later career
On the first
Mathurin lost his position and titles with the July Revolution of 1830. He died at his Château de Freschines, near Villefrancœur, Loir-et-Cher, on 2 August 1846.[1]
Notes
- ^ Also known as Antoine René Charles Mathurin, Compte de Laforêt or Comte de La Forêt or Count of Laforet
- ^ a b c d e f Robert & Cougny 1891, p. 526.
- ^ Bernard 1973, p. 159.
References
- Bernard, J.F. (1973). Talleyrand: A Biography. New York: Putnam. ISBN 0-399-11022-4.
- Robert, Adolphe; Cougny, Gaston (1891), "Laforest Antoine-René-Charles-Mathurin, Comte de" (PDF), Dictionnaire des parlementaires français de 1789 à 1889, vol. III de FES à LAV, retrieved 2014-04-21