Louis Andrieux

Louis Andrieux (23 July 1840 – 26 August 1931) was a French politician, diplomat, journalist and lawyer. He served as Prefect of Police of Paris from 1879 to 1881 and was a member of the French Chamber of Deputies during several legislatures of the Third Republic. He was also the biological father of the writer and poet Louis Aragon.

Early life and education

Andrieux was born in Trévoux, in the department of Ain, France. After studying at the Lycée de Lyon, he moved to Paris, where he earned a degree in literature and later studied law. During his student years, he embraced republican ideals and co-founded the short-lived weekly newspaper Le Travail in 1861 alongside Georges Clemenceau and other young intellectuals of the Latin Quarter. After completing his legal studies, Andrieux was admitted to the Lyon bar and became a Freemason.

Political career

Following the outbreak of unrest after the French defeat in the Battle of Sedan, Andrieux was imprisoned at Prison Saint-Paul for insulting the emperor Napoleon III in 1870. He was then freed by the rioters and served as a public prosecutor in Lyon. He subsequently participated in the suppression of the Lyon Commune of April 1871, which occurred in the aftermath of the Paris Commune.

In 1879, after the electoral victory of the republicans, Andrieux was appointed Prefect of Police of Paris. During his tenure, he gained a reputation for firmness and administrative efficiency, notably during the Hartmann Affair. Lev Hartmann, a Russian revolutionary accused of involvement in a plot to assassinate Tsar Alexander II, was arrested on Andrieux's orders at the request of the Russian government, triggering a diplomatic controversy between France and Russia.

Alongside his political activities, Andrieux was active in journalism. In 1876, he founded Le Petit Parisien, which became one of the most widely circulated newspapers of the French Third Republic. He later collaborated with Clemenceau's newspaper La Justice and directed several other publications.

During the period of the French protectorate in Morocco, Andrieux was involved in the development of sport in Casablanca. In 1913, he founded US Marocaine, one of the earliest multi-sport clubs in Morocco.

Personal life

In April 1878, Andrieux married Hélène Koechlin. He was also the father of the future writer Louis Aragon,

He died in Paris on 26 August 1931 at the age of 91.

Honours