Presidents of France 6: Jean Casimir-Perier 1894-1895

Jean Casimir-Perier was the French President only for a little over 6 months. 

 He was born in 1847 into a political family, being the grandson of  Casimir Pierre-Perier, who was premier for Louis Phillipe, and the son of Auguste Casimir-Perier, who was interior minister in the Thiers government.  He was chosen as counselor for the Aube Department and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Aube until his election as President.   While his family had monarchist sympathies, he chose to side with left-republicans.  He was under secretary of State for War in the government of Jules Ferry.  From 1890-92 he was vice president of the Chamber of Deputies,  and in 1893 became speaker.  In 1893 on December 9, the anarchist August Vaillant throws a bomb in the chamber but fortunately nobody was killed. In response repressive measures against anarchism were passed in the chamber.  Vaillant was guillotined.

On June 25, 1894, President Carnot was stabbed to death in Lyon.  Casimir-Perier was elected President with support from the right shortly afterwards.  He was criticised by some as being "President of the Reaction".  As Casimir-Perier is a wealthy investor in the Anzin coal mines, he is ridiculed by the left as Casimir Anzin.  

  His unpopularity with the public was such that even his own ministers began to ignore him, and complaining of this, he resigned from the presidency after six months.

After that Casimir-Perier left politics and turned his attention to his holdings in mining.  He was supportive of the accused in the Dreyfus case in Rennes.  He turns down offers of the presidency by President Loubet in 1899.    In 1907 he died at the age of 60.