Nicolas François de Neufchâteau

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Nicolas François de Neufchâteau (1798 engraving after a portrait by Jean-Baptiste Isabey).

Nicolas François de Neufchâteau (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃swa d(ə) nœfʃɑto, - nøʃɑto]; 17 April 1750 – 10 January 1828) was a French statesman, poet, and agricultural scientist.

Biography

Early years

Born at

Saint Domingue
. He had previously been engaged on a translation of
Ariosto, which he finished before his return to France five years afterwards, but it was destroyed during the shipwreck which occurred during his voyage home.[1]

Revolution

During the

département of the Vosges, and elected later to the Legislative Assembly
, of which he first became secretary and then president. In 1793 he was imprisoned on account of his supposed political sentiments, as they were deduced from his drama
Théâtre de la Nation, 1 August 1793), but was released the following year with the start of the Thermidorian Reaction.[1]

Directory and Napoleon

In 1797, he became

Minister of the Interior, distinguishing himself by his thorough administration. It is Neufchâteau who initiated the French system of inland navigation. He inaugurated the museum of the Louvre and was one of the promoters of the Exposition des produits de l'industrie française, the first universal exhibition of industrial products.[1] He replaced Lazare Carnot as a member of the French Directory, a position he held between 9 September 1797, and 23 April 1798.[2]

From 1804 to 1806 he was president of the

Académie française, and in 1808 he received the dignity of count. Retiring from public life in 1814, after the Bourbon Restoration, he occupied himself chiefly with the study of agriculture until his death.[1]

Works

Neufchâteau had multiple accomplishments, and interested himself in a great variety of subjects, but his fame rests mostly on what he did as a statesman for the encouragement and development of the industries of France. His late poetical productions are not judged to be as original as his youth oeuvre. He was a noted grammarian and literary critic, as is witnessed by his editions of the Lettres provinciales and Pensées of Blaise Pascal (Paris, 1822 and 1826) and Alain-René Lesage's Gil Blas (Paris, 1820). He was also the author of a large number of works on agriculture.[1]

Bibliography

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911.
  2. ^ Marot 1966, p. 250.

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Francois de Neufchateau, Nicolas Louis, count". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 14–15. In turn, it cites as references:
    • Recueil des lettres, circulaires, discours et autres actes publics émanés du duc François pendant ses deux exercices du ministère de l'Intérieur (Paris, An. vii.-viii., 2 vols)
    • H. Bonnelier, Mémoires sur François de Neufchâteau (Paris, 1829)
    • J. Lamoureux, Notice historique et littéraire sur la vie et les écrits de François de Neufchâteau (Paris, 1843)
    • E. Meaume, Étude historique et biographique sur les Lorrains révolutionnaires: Palissot, Grégoire, François de Neufchâteau (Nancy, 1882)
    • A. F. de Sillery, Notice biographique sur M. le comte François de Neufchâteau (1828)
    • Ch. Simian, François de Neufchâteau et les expositions (Paris, 1889)
  • Marot, Pierre (1966). Recherches sur la vie de François de Neufchâteau à propos de ses lettres à son ami Poullain-Grandprey (in French). Nancy: Berger-Levrault. p. 440.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Minister of the Interior
16 July 1797 – 14 September 1797 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of the Interior
17 June 1798 – 22 June 1799 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by
Académie française

1803–1828 		Succeeded by
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