Ludovic Vitet

Louis, known as Ludovic Vitet is a politician and French writer born in Paris the October 18th 1802 and died in Versailles the June 5th 1873.

Biography

Resulting from a rich person middle-class family, grandson of conventional the Louis Vitet (1736 - 1809), wire of Pierre-Jean Vitet and Amélie Arnaudtizon, Ludovic Vitet made studies of right and followed courses of philosophy and entered to the National university in 1819. He professed until in 1824, year when he left teaching to travel in France and Italy, being interested in the history, archeology and the music.

He took share with the drafting of the Globe , newspaper of liberal inspiration founded by Paul-François Dubois and in which also collaborated Charles de Rémusat, Victor Cousin or Etienne-Jean Delécluze. He also collaborated in the French Revue and in the Revue of the Two Worlds , of which he was one of the principal writers.

He published between 1827 and 1829 several scenes dramatic ( the Barricades , States of Blois , the death of Henri III ), which ensured its notoriety and which were later joined together in volume under the title the League (1844).

One of principal lawyers of the Libéralisme, as well policy as economic, he was the friend of Madam de Staël, Alessandro Manzoni and Sismondi. With some friends, it founded the company “Aide you, the sky will help you” with an aim of supporting the liberals with the elections of 1827.

The company failed, but the Révolution of 1830 opened new prospects to him. Vitet requested without success a prefecture near the Minister of Interior Department, François Guizot. However, this one created for him the post of general inspector of the historic buildings placed at the ministry for the interior, but which preceded the current ministry for the culture. The report submitted by Vitet in 1831 at the conclusion of its first round in the North of France shows that it occupied not only monuments but also museums, libraries, files and schools of artistic teaching. This report/ratio was used by Victor Hugo for his Guerre with the demolition contracters published in 1832. Vitet carried out two other rounds, one towards the Burgundy, the Lyonese and Puy in 1831, the other towards South-west in 1833, which gave the opportunity to him to save the cloister of Moissac.

The April 10th 1834, Vitet was named general secretary of the ministry for the Trade and resigned of its functions of general inspector whom it yielded to Prosper Mérimée with which it continued to follow closely the questions concerning the historic buildings: it chaired until in 1848 the commission of the historic buildings, created with its initiative and charged with allotting subsidies for the restoration of the monuments. It entered to the Académie of the inscriptions and the humanities the December 15th 1839 and was then elected with the French Academy the May 8th 1845 to replace Alexandre Soumet.

Ludovic Vitet had been presented without success to the delegation the June 21st 1834 in the 6th college of the Seine-Lower (Bolbec). But, the election having been cancelled, it represented and was elected the September 13rd according to. He made speeches noticed with the Room and defended the policy of the ministry.

In 1836, it was in parallel named general secretary of the ministry for finances and to advise State (September 19th 1836). Subjected of this chief to re-election, it obtained the confirmation of its mandate of deputy the October 15th. He was successively re-elected the November 4th 1837, the March 2nd 1839, the July 9th 1842 and the 1846. With the Room, he voted for the equipment of the duke of Nemours, for the census, the allowance Pritchard and was rapporteur of the law on the licenses.

After the Revolution of 1848, Vitet remained faithful to the family of Orleans. It was presented without success to the elections to the constituent Assembly in the department of Seine-Lower, but it was elected with the legislative Parliament the May 13rd 1849, and became one of the vice-presidents about it. It took seat in the monarchist majority and voted for the Expédition of Rome, for the Loi Falloux on teaching, for the law of the May 31st restricting the Vote for all. Hostile with the policy of the prince-president, it was with the number of the deputies who met in the town hall of Xe district to protest against the Coup d'etat of December 2nd, 1851: vice-president of the meeting, it was arrested and imprisoned during a few days.

Under the Second Empire, it moved away from the public life and dealt only of art and literature. He adhered to the Republic after the September 4th 1870 and, during the head office of Paris, he published in the Revue of the Two Worlds a series of articles in which he recommended resistance.

Elected official appointed of Seine-Lower than the National Assembly the February 8th 1871, it was, as of the beginning, one of the vice-presidents of the Parliament and belonged to the associated commission with Thiers to negotiate peace. He deposited, the August 30th 1871, a private bill in which the Parliament recognized the constituent capacity, which was voted by 434 votes against 225, and was the rapporteur of the “Loi Rivet” creating the Third Republic, to which he was opposed. In June 1872, it belonged to the delegation sent by the line to Thiers to impose a preserving policy to him. He voted for peace, for the abrogation of the laws of exile, for the petition of the bishops, against the three years service, for the resignation of Thiers. It was its last vote because he died fifteen days later.

Under the Third Republic, it had also found its place of president of the Commission of the historic buildings and acts as well for the revision of the list of the historic buildings as for the auditing of accounts of work.

Ludovic Vitet had a sister, Amélie (Mrs. Eugene Aubry).

Works

the historical Barricades , scenes, 1826
States of Blois , 1827
the death of Henri III , 1829
Report/ratio with the Minister of Interior Department on the monuments, libraries, etc of Oise, Aisne , 1831
History of Dieppe , 1838
Eustace Lesueur, his life and its works , 1843
the League , 1844
Monograph of the church of Notre-Dame of Boundary-line , 1845
Fragments and Mélanges , 1846
financial History of the government of July, 1848
States of Orleans , 1849
Louvre , 1852
Studies on the history of art , 1864
the count Duchâtel , 1875

Judgments

“What distinguished it early, it was the talent to generalize and of painter the critical ideas; he puts at it in the expression of fire, the light and a liveliness of elegant abundance. ” (Holy-Beuve)

References

External bonds

biographical Card on the site of the French Academy

Source

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