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Finance Minister |
Years in Office / King |
Comments |
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Jean Duthier (du Thier)
lived
? - 1559 |
April 22,
1547-1554
under Henry
II |
In
1547, Henry
II added to the financial
reforms his father and predecessor
Francis I
had started, and created the post of
two contrôleurs that were
responsible for recording the
movement of funds to and from the
Treasury.
He
announced du Thier to become
secrétaire des finances,
together with three other
Secrétaires d'Etat. These
fellows were Guillaume Bochetel,
Claude Clausse, and Claude de
l'Aubespine.
In
1545, du Thier bought Beauregard
castle, by the way, located approx.
two car hours south of Paris. You
are welcome to visit it today. |
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André Blondet (Blondel) de
Rocquencourt
lived
? - 1558 |
October 31,
1554-November 7, 1558
under Henry
II |
Died
while in office.
The
image on the left is Blondet's tomb
slab, created by Ponce Jacquio(t).
You
can visit it today in the musée
du Louvre. |
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Simon Goille
lived ?-? |
November 15,
1558 - August 13, 1559
under Henry
II |
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Guillaume de Marillac
lived 1521-1573 |
November 6,
1568 - January 24, 1573
under
Charles IX |
Died
while in office. |
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Charles de Saldaigne d'Incarville
lived
?-1599 |
February 11,
1596 - July 16, 1599
under
Henry IV |
Died
while in office. |
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Jean de Viene (Vienne)
lived 1557-1608 |
July
16, 1599 - June 28, 1608
under
Henry IV |
Died
while in office. |
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Gilles de Maupeou
lived 1553-1641 |
June 28,
1608 - January 26, 1611
under
Henry IV |
First Term
King
Henry IV was assassinated on May 14,
1610. |
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Pierre Jeannin
lived 1542-1623 |
January 26, 1611 - May 24, 1616
under
Louis
XIII |
(or rather under
Marie de Médicis while
Louis was a minor until 1614)
Received for his services, among
other things, the intendance des
finances for his son-in-law
Pierre de Castille. |
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Claude Barbin
lived 1565(?)-1624 |
May 24,
1616 - April 24, 1617
under
Louis
XIII |
Praised for his "common sense and
clean hands."
But
Barbin had been recommended by
Marie de Médicis's friend
Concino Concini, who was
as unpopular as he was greedy. Concini was
assassinated on April 24, 1617. |
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Gilles de Maupeou
lived 1553-1641 |
April 26,
1617 - 1619
under
Louis
XIII |
Second Term |
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Pierre de Castille
lived
1581-1629 |
September 25,
1619 - 1623
under
Louis
XIII |
Son-in-law of
Pierre Jeannin
Controller-general and intendant
des finances |
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Jean Bochart (Bochard) de Champigny
lived 1561-1630 |
January 23,
1623 - January 1626
under
Louis
XIII |
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Simon Marion de Druy
lived 1572-1628 |
March 1,
1626 - October, 1628
under
Louis
XIII |
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Pierre de Duret de Chevry
lived
1564-1636 |
January 12,
1634 - September 18, 1636
under
Louis
XIII |
Died
while in office. |
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Michel Particelli d'Émery
lived 1596-1650 |
May
1643 - July 9, 1648
under
Louis
XIV |
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Antoine Le Camus
lived 1603-1687 |
April 20,
1648 - 1657
under
Louis
XIV |
From
1655 together with
Claude Ménardeau de Champré |
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Claude Ménardeau de Champré
lived
?-? |
May 13,
1655 - September 18, 1657
under
Louis
XIV |
Together with
Antoine Le Camus |
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Barthélemy Hervart (Herwart)
lived 1607-1676 |
October 20,
1657 - December 12, 1665
under
Louis
XIV |
Together with
Louis Le Tonnelier de Breteuil |
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Louis Le Tonnelier de Breteuil
lived 1609-1685 |
October 20,
1657 - December 12, 1665
under
Louis
XIV |
Together with
Barthélemy
Hervart |
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Jean-Baptiste
Colbert
lived 1619-1683 |
December 12,
1665 - September 6, 1683
under
Louis
XIV |
After
Surintendant Nicolas Fouquet
was dismissed in 1661, the
surintendance was abolished.
From
1665, Colbert performed the duties
of surintendant as
contrôleur général.
Colbert died on September 6, 1683. |
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Claude
Le Peletier
lived 1631-1711 |
September 6,
1683 - September 20, 1689
under
Louis
XIV |
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Louis
Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain
lived 1643-1727 |
September 20, 1689 - September 5, 1699
under
Louis
XIV |
Created the
capitation
(head tax) in 1695. |
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Michel
de Chamillart
lived 1652-1721 |
September 20,
1699 - February 20, 1708
under
Louis
XIV |
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Nicolas Desmarets (des
Marets or Desmaretz),
marquis de Maillebois
lived 1648-1721 |
February 19, 1708 -
September 15, 1715
under
Louis
XIV |
Recommended that France should
declare bankruptcy.
Desmaretz went with his king. |
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Adrien
Maurice, duc de Noailles
lived 1678-1766 |
September 15, 1715 -
January 28, 1718
under
Louis XV (actually
Philippe II, duc d'Orléans because
Louis was a minor) |
Président du
conseil des finances |
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Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy,
marquis
d'Argenson
lived 1652-1721 |
January 28, 1718 -
January 4, 1720
under
Louis XV |
Directeur de l’administration
principale des finances |
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John
Law
lived 1671-1729 |
January 4 - May 27, 1720
under
Louis XV |
Born
in Edinburgh, Law was in France from
December 1713 to December 1720.
After
his dismissal on May 27, 1720, Law was
earmarked for a trip to the
Bastille.
But he was recalled to fix his mess
because no one else could. |
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Félix
Le Pelletier de la Houssaye
lived 1663-1723 |
December 11, 1720 -
April 21, 1722
under
Louis XV |
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Charles-Gaspard Dodun
lived 1679-1736 |
April
21, 1722 -
June 14, 1726
under
Louis XV |
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Michel
Le Peletier des Forts
lived 1675-1740 |
June
14, 1726 -
March 19, 1730
under
Louis XV |
Claude Le Peletier's
nephew. |
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Philibert Orry, comte de Vignory
lived 1689-1747 |
March
20, 1730 -
December 5, 1745
under
Louis XV |
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Jean-Baptiste de Machault
d'Arnouville
lived 1701-1794 |
December 6, 1745 -
July 28, 1754
under
Louis XV |
Created the
vingtième.
See
also
War of the
Austrian Succession.
Was
also after replacing the dons
gratuits with individual tax.
Made
too many enemies and was transferred
to another post, later dismissed. Died
in prison thanks to the
Reign of
Terror. Machault was
93 years old. |
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Jean
Moreau de Séchelles
lived 1690-1760 |
July
30, 1754 -
April 24, 1756
under
Louis XV |
Got
mad on the job, left his office to
his son-in-law,
Peyrenc de Moras. |
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François-Marie Peyrenc de Moras
lived 1718-1771 |
April
24, 1756 -
August 25, 1757
under
Louis XV |
Moras,
Jean
Moreau de Séchelles'
son-in-law,
created the
second
vingtième
to finance war expenses, which led
to the collective resignation of the
parlement in December 1756. |
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Jean
de Boullongne
lived 1690-1769 |
August
25, 1757 -
March 4, 1759
under
Louis XV |
In
August 1758, Boullongne created the
don gratuit for cities. This
backfired and he was dismissed.
According to rumor,
Boullongne fractured his kneecap in
a tennis match in October 1767 and
died fourteen months later as a
result of this injury. |
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Étienne de Silhouette
lived 1709-1767 |
March
4 - November 21, 1759
under
Louis XV |
Silhouette cried when he was told
that he had to resign.
Voltaire noted that Silhouette's
ideas, although very beautiful, were
used very inopportunely. During
peaceful times they might have
worked.
See
also
Seven Years'
War. |
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Henri-Jean-Baptiste-Léonard Bertin
lived 1720-1792 |
November 23, 1759 -
December 13, 1763
under
Louis XV |
Created a
third
vingtieme.
On
December 13, 1763, Bertin had to
resign because of opposition from
parlement.
But Louis created a
new post for him and made him head
of a bunch of departments, e.g.
agriculture, rivers, commerce,
mining, and manufacturing. |
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Clément-Charles-François de L'Averdy
lived 1724-1793 |
December 13, 1763 -
October 1, 1768
under
Louis XV |
Had many administrative reforms in
mind, but ran into a brick wall in
1767, when, after having had several
bad harvests, he discovered 250
million in debts, "forgotten" by
Boullongne.
High prices of grain and a
misinterpreted treaty between
L'Averdy and the Baker Malisset,
which ensured steady supply of grain
for the capital, gave cause to
rumors of a "famine pact." L'Averdy
was dismissed in 1768.
Guillotined on November 24, 1793. |
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Étienne Maynon d'Invault
lived 1721-1801 |
September 22, 1768 -
December 22, 1769
under
Louis XV |
Didn't put up with
Chancellor
Maupeou, so he quit. |
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Joseph-Marie Terray
lived 1715-1778 |
December 22, 1769 -
August 24, 1774
under
Louis XV |
Abbé Terray came highly recommended
by
Chancellor Maupeou,
together with whom Terray
implemented very effective reforms.
Under Terray, French revenues
enjoyed a rare breather. But it came
at a price. Maupeou and Terray were
tagged as despotic and generally
disliked.
Terray's career didn't survive the
switch from Louis XV to Louis XVI. |
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Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, baron de
l'Aulne
lived 1727-1781 |
August 24,
1774 - May 12, 1776
under
Louis XVI |
Capable minister.
His reforms came as the
Six Edicts
of 1776, which among
other things, abolished the
corvées.
Parlement and everyone whose
wings had been clipped by Turgot's
reforms raised a huge stink.
Vergennes
didn't like him either.
Louis
not only dismissed Turgot, he also
had all his reforms repealed by
October 1776. |
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Jean-Etienne Bernard de Clugny de
Nuits
lived 1729-1776 |
May 21
- October 18, 1776
under
Louis XVI |
Revoked all of Turgot's reforms.
Created the royal lottery.
Died on the job, suddenly, age 47. |
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Louis-Gabriel Taboureau des Réaux
lived 1718-1782 |
October 21,
1776-June 29, 1777
under
Louis XVI |
Taboureau was promoted to shield Necker's
appointment to
directeur général du Trésor Royal
on October 22, 1776.
Necker was a Protestant and couldn't
be officially employed at the contrôle général
des finances.
However, Necker had
been working as finance minister since June 1776. |
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Jacques Necker
lived 1732-1804 |
June 29,
1777-May 19, 1781
under
Louis XVI |
Directeur
général des finances
Necker
served three terms:
- First term from 1776 to 1781
- Second term from August 1788 to
July 1789
- Third term from July 20, 1789 to
September 18, 1790 (with Lambert
sitting on his lap) |
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Jean-François Joly de Fleury
lived 1718-1802 |
May 21,
1781 - March 29, 1783
under
Louis XVI |
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Henry-François de Paule Lefèvre
d'Ormesson
lived 1751-1808 |
March
29 - November 2, 1783
under
Louis XVI |
The
Caisse d’escompte crisis and the
attempted reform of the ferme
générale highlighted
d'Ormesson's time in office. |
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Charles-Alexandre de Calonne
lived 1734-1802 |
November 3,
1783 - April 8, 1787
under
Louis XVI |
Tried
to secure more loans via government
spending. Later, he resumed the
financial policy of Turgot and
Necker.
Calonne's reforms were met by too
much opposition.
Vergennes
and
Miromesnil were just
some of his enemies.
Louis had to
dismiss him. |
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Michel
Bouvard de Fourqueux
lived 1719-1789 |
April
10 - May 1, 1787
under
Louis XVI |
Sixty-eight year old Fourqueux
lasted three full weeks. |
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Pierre-Charles Laurent de Villedeuil
lived 1742-1828 |
May 3
- August 30, 1787
under
Louis XVI |
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Claude-Guillaume Lambert
lived 1726-1794 |
August 31,
1787-August 25, 1788
under
Louis XVI |
Served
two terms.
This was his first term.
He will be back in July 1789. |
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Jacques Necker
lived 1732-1804 |
August 25, 1788 - July 11, 1789
under
Louis XVI |
Directeur
général des finances
Necker
served three terms:
- First term from 1776 to 1781
- Second term from August 1788 to
July 1789
- Third term from July 20, 1789 to
September 18, 1790 (with Lambert
sitting on his lap) |
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Claude-Guillaume Lambert
lived 1726-1794 |
July
22, 1789-November 26, 1790
under
Louis XVI |
This
is Lambert's second term. This time
he was placed under Necker's
authority.
He resigned in 1790
and was guillotined on June 23, 1794. |
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Antoine
Nicolas de
Valdec de Lessart
lived 1741-1792 |
November 30, 1790-May 28, 1791
under
Louis XVI |
Ministre des Finances
November 30, 1790 - April 27, 1791
Ministre des Contributions et
revenus publics
(New post created by the
Constituent
Assembly)
April 27 - May 24, 1791
Lynched by the September 1792 mob |
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Louis-Hardouin Tarbé
lived 1753-1806 |
May
24, 1791-March 24, 1792
under
Louis XVI |
Ministre
des contributions et revenus
publics
Resigned on March 15, 1792, but his
successor wasn't appointed until
March 24. |
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Étienne
Clavière
lived 1735-1793 |
March
24, 1792-June 13, 1792
under
Louis XVI |
Ministre
des contributions et revenus
publics
This
is his first term. He will be back
on August 10, 1792. |
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Joseph-Emilie-François Hervé de Beaulieu
lived 1752-1807 |
June
18, 1792-July 29, 1792
under
Louis XVI |
Ministre
des contributions et revenus
publics
Quit
his job on July 10, 1792, but had to
wait three weeks for his
replacement. |
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René Leroux
Delaville (Le Roulx Delaville)
lived 1743-1797 |
July
29 - August 10, 1792
under
Louis XVI |
Ministre
des contributions et revenus
publics
Finance minister for 12 days.
On
August 10, 1792, the mob stormed the
Tuileries and deposed the King.
Leroux-Delaville was dismissed and
Clavière recalled. |
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Étienne Clavière
lived 1735-1793 |
August
10, 1792 - June 13, 1793
under
Louis XVI
(who
had been imprisoned in August 1792) |
Ministre
des contributions et revenus
publics
This
is his second term. His first term
lasted from March to June 1792.
A
Girondin, Claviere stabbed himself
one day before he had to appear
before the Revolutionary
Tribunal. |
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The monarchy was officially abolished
and
the French Republic proclaimed on
September 21, 1792. |
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