Félix Jules Méline (French pronunciation: [ʒyl melin]; 20 May 1838 – 21 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898.

Jules Méline
Méline in 1915
Prime Minister of France
In office
29 April 1896 – 28 June 1898
PresidentFélix Faure
Preceded byLéon Bourgeois
Succeeded byHenri Brisson
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
4 April 1888 – 11 November 1889
Preceded byCharles Floquet
Succeeded byCharles Floquet
Personal details
Born20 May 1838
Remiremont, Kingdom of France
Died21 December 1925(1925-12-21) (aged 87)
Paris, France
Political partyProgressive Republican (1870–1903)
Republican Federation (1903–1910s)

Biography

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Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 1879 he was for a short time Under-Secretary to the Minister of the Interior. In 1880 he came to the fore as the leading spokesman of the party which favoured the protection of French industries, and he had a considerable share in fashioning the protectionist legislation of the years 1890–1902. From 1883 to 1885, Méline was Minister for Agriculture, and in 1888–1889 he was President of the Chamber of Deputies. In 1896 he became Premier (Président du Conseil) and Minister for Agriculture.[1] His tenure in these roles ended in 1898, after losing the confidence of the Chamber of Deputies following the 1898 French legislative election, being succeeded as Premier by Henri Brisson.[2][3]

At one time he edited La République francaise, and after his retirement from public life he wrote Le Retour de la terre et Ia surproduction industrielle, tout en faveur de l'agriculture (1905).[1]

The French protectionist measure of 1892, the Méline tariff, is named after him.[4]

Méline's Ministry

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Méline's Ministry, 29 April 1896 – 28 June 1898:[citation needed]

Changes

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Chisholm 1911, p. 94.
  2. ^ Passmore, Kevin (November 2012). "4 The Ralliement (1890–1898)". The Right in France from the Third Republic to Vichy (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford Academic. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199658206.003.0004. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  3. ^ Gildea, Robert. Children of the Revolution: The French, 1799–1914. London: Penguin UK. p. 275.
  4. ^ Michael S. Smith, "The Méline Tariff as Social Protection: Rhetoric or Reality?" International Review of Social History (1992) 37 : pp 230-243

References

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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Agriculture
1883–1885
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Chamber of Deputies
1888–1889
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of France
1896–1898
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Agriculture
1896–1898
Succeeded by