Ledru-Rollin, Alexandre Auguste

LAWYER (FRANCE)
BORN 2 Feb 1807, Paris - DIED 31 Dec 1874, Fontenay-aux-Roses, Hauts-de-Seine: 2, rue de Bagneux (now: 44, Avenue Lombart)
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 04, ligne 01, AA, 17)

Alexandre Ledru-Rollin was a grandson of the quack doctor Nicolas Ledru, who was known as Comus. He had started practising as a lawyer just before the 1830 and was involved in the defense of most of the trials against Republicans during the 1830s. In 1838 he bought Désiré Dalloz's seat in the Court of Cassation and in 1841 he was elected deputy for Le Mans. But the violence in his speeches resulted in imprisonment for four months.

In 1843 he married a rich woman and after he gave up his position in the Court of Cassation in 1846 he devoted himself to politics, standing up for the working man. In 1848 he was involved in the revolution and he opposed the new President Louis Napoleon. He had stood against Louis Napoleon in the presidential election, but only 370,000 people voted for him and Louis Napoleon obtained 5,400,000 votes.

After an impeachment procedure against Louis Napoleon failed he fled to London. In 1857 he was accused of complicity in an attempt to kill Louis, by that time emperor Napoleon III. He was condemned to deportation in his absence.

After the fall of the Second Empire in 1870 he was able to return to France. Although he was elected to National Assembly he refused to take his seat. He died in 1874.

Related persons
• cooperated with Arago, Emmanuel
• was sculpted by Meusnier, Mathieu Roland
• was opponent of Napoleon III Bonaparte

Events
10/12/1848Louis Napoleon Bonaparte wins the presidential elections in France. He received 5,434,226 votes. The other votes: Cavaignac 1,448,107; Ledru Rollin 370,119; Raspail 36,900; Lamartine 17,190; Changarnier 4,790. [Cavaignac, Eugène Louis][Napoleon III Bonaparte]

Images

The grave of Alexandre Ledru-Rollin at Père Lachaise, Paris.
Picture by Androom (24 Oct 2014)

 

Sources
• Beyern, Bertrand, Guide des Cimetières en France, Le Cherche Midi Éditeur, Paris, 1994
• Price, Roger (ed.), 1848 in France, Thames and Hudson, London, 1975
Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin - Wikipedia


Ledwinka, Franz

Published: 15 Nov 2014
Last update: 11 Mar 2023