Marie-Edmé-Patrice-Maurice de Mac Mahon

A noble of Irish origin; educated at the École militaire de Saint-Cyr (1825-1827) and the École d'État-major (1827-1829); commissioned sublieutenant (1829); distinguished himself during the expedition to Algeria (1830); promoted to lieutenant (1830), captain (1833), commandant (1840), lieutenant colonel (1843/1844), colonel (1845), brigade general (1848), general of division (1852); participated in the Crimean War (1853-1856) and in the Italian campaign (1859); nominated senator (1856-1870); after his victory over the Austrians at Magenta, was created duc de Magenta and marshal of France (5 Jun 1859); served as governor-general of Algeria (1 Sep 1864 - 27 Jul 1870); was defeated and captivated at Sedan during the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871); returned to head the Versailles Army, which defeated the Paris Commune (May 1871); elected President of the Republic (24 May 1873) after the resignation of Adolphe Thiers; when the French monarchists failed to install Comte de Chambord as a new king under the name of Henri V, the presidential tenure was extended to seven years (Law of the Septennate, 20 Nov 1873); republican form of government was formally established with promulgation of constitutional laws (25 Feb 1875); parliamentary elections of 1876 brought victory to republicans, who secured the appointment of the moderate republican Jules Simon as President of the Council of Ministers (12 Dec 1876 - 17 May 1877); forced Simon to resign (17 May 1877) that created constitutional crisis (crise du Seize Mai); succeeded in dissolving the Chambre des députés [Chamber of deputies] (25 Jun 1877); was prevented from effective decision-making by the republicans, who received majority in the Sénat in early 1879; protested against the draft law on high military command proposed by the ministry of Armand Dufaure and tendered his resignation on 30 Jan 1879. Biography source: [3]