Presidents of France: 5. Marie François Sadi Carnot (1887-1894)

Marie François Sadi Carnot was born in 1837 and became President of France in 1887 succeeding Jules Grevy who resigned after a scandal broke concerning Grevy's son in law. He was the son of Hippolyte Carnot, who served in the government of Napoleon.  Carnot's uncle was a physicist whose claim to fame was his achievements in the field of Thermodynamics and Carnot was himself trained as a civil engineer at the Ecole polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale de Ponts et Chaussees (National School of Bridges and Roads)

He was, because of his staunch republicanism, entrusted with  the prefecture of Seine-Inférieure and was shortly afterwards elected to the National Assembly representing Côte-d'Or.  When Grevy resigned, his reputation for honesty made him the obvious successor winning election by the National Assembly overwhelmingly.   At the outset of his term as President, Carnot was faced with the neo-militarist challenge of Boulanger until the latter was driven into exile.

Nevertheless another scandal broke in 1882 in which the Panama Canal Company's debt problems were concealed from the public by certain members of the government who apparently received bribes from Ferdinand de Lesseps.

de Lesseps

  De Lesseps had previously helped to bring the Suez Canal into existence.  This financial venture, when it collapsed caused many investors to lose their savings, eventually the US bought out the investments and succeeded in building the canal.    

Carnot established a Franco-Russian alliance and was at the height of his popularity when on June 24, 1894 he was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist while sitting his his carriage.  The anarchist, Sante Geronimo Casario was guillotined a little less than 2 months later.

Assassination of Sadi Carnot

  His motive was said to be in revenge for the executions of other anarchists, beginning with Auguste Vaillant and Emile Henry.  

Carnot was laid to rest in the Pantheon after a large state funeral .July 1.