Biography of Trochu, Louis-Jules - Archontology
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Trochu, Louis-Jules

Louis-Jules Trochu

b. 12 Mar 1815, Le Palais, Morbihan [1]
d. 7 Oct 1896, Tours

Title: Président du Gouvernement de la défense nationale (President of the Government of National Defence)
Term: 4 Sep 1870 - 13 Feb 1871
Chronology: 4 Sep 1870, appointed, decree of the Government of National Defence [2]
13 Feb 1871, collective resignation of the Government submitted to the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), acknowledged, session of the Assembly, Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux [3]
Biography:
Educated at the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr (École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr); received a commission in the Staff Corps (1838); was promoted to lieutenant (1840), captain (1843); served in Algeria; promoted to major (1845), lieutenant colonel (1851), colonel (1853); served with distinction throughout the Crimean campaign; general of brigade (1854); was made a commander of the Légion d'honneur and general of division (1859); distinguished himself in command of a division in the Italian campaign (1859); employed at the ministry of war (1866) in the preparation of army reorganization schemes; published anonymously L'Armee française en 1867; appointed first commandant of the troops of Chalons camp (August 1870) in the Franco-Prussian war; appointed governor of Paris (17 Aug 1870 - 22 Jan 1871) and commander-in-chief of all the forces stationed the capital; worked energetically to put Paris in a state of defence against the Prussians; during the revolution of 4 Sep 1870, he was nominated President of the Government of National Defence; after unsuccessful attempts to build up effective defence, resigned the governorship of Paris (22 Jan 1871); was elected to the National Assembly by eight departments (opted for Morbihan); served as president of the General Council of Morbihan (1871-1872); retired from political life (July 1872), and from the army (16 Jan 1873).
Biographical sources: Dictionnaire des parlementaires français 1789-1889, 5:448-449.

[1] Original birth record is preserved in the Archives of the Morbihan département, Actes de naissance 1815, record No. 22.
[2] JORF, No. 244, 5 Sep 1870, p. 1525; "Bulletin des lois de la République française", XIIe série, 2e semestre 1870. Partie principale, T. 1, n° 1 (Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1871): N° 2. - Proclamation aux Habitants de Paris, N° 3. - Décret portant : 1e nomination des Ministres, etc …
[3] Annales de l'Assemblée nationale, 1:4-5.
Image: photograph by Cailliez.