Faure, Félix |
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BORN 30 Jan 1841, Paris - DIED 16 Feb 1899, Paris BIRTH NAME Faure, François Félix CAUSE OF DEATH cerebral congestion GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 04, ligne 01, AA, 17) |
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Félix Faure was the son of a furniture maker. He worked as a leather merchant and he was elected into the Conseil municipal of Le Havre in 1870. In 1881 he was elected for Le Havre in the French Assembly as a moderate republican. He was twice Under Minister of the Colonies and in 1894 he became Minister of the Navy (Ministre de Marine). After Jean Casimir-Périer's presidency ended after only six months, Fauré was elected president of the French Republic, receiving 403 of 801 votes during the second round. He was a nationalist and he lived in such luxury, that he was called 'Président Soleil'. During his presidency Zola wrote his famous "J'accuse", meant to help the young soldier Dreyfus, but Faure was far from willing to reopen the trial. Faure commisioned the the painter Adolphe Steinheil to paint his portrait and in 1897 he met the painter's wife Jeanne-Marguerite Steinheil. They started an affair and he made her his 'political advisor'. On February 16th, 1899 the Faure suffered from heavy spams at the Salon d'Argent, where Napoleon once abdicated. When he was found Jeanne-Marguerite was there, arranging her disordered clothes. He died several hours later. Faure had never been popular, but his popularity increased posthumously when it became known that he had died in the arms of his mistress. |
| Images |
 The grave of Félix Faure at Père Lachaise, Paris. Picture by Androom (28 Aug 2001) |
Sources • Culbertson, Judi & Tom Randall, Permanent Parisians, Robson Books, London, 1991 • Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909 |
