Jules Armand Dufaure
Jules Armand Stanislas Dufaure (; 4 December 1798 – 28 June 1881) was a French statesman. Biography. Dufaure was born at Saujon, Charente-Maritime, and began his career as an advocate at Bordeaux, where he won a great reputation by his oratorical gifts. He abandoned law for politics and, in 1834, was elected deputy. In 1839, he became minister of public works in the ministry of Jean-de-Dieu Soult, and succeeded in freeing railway construction in France from the obstacles which until then had hampered it. Losing office in 1840, Dufaure became one of the leaders of the  Opposition, and on the outbreak of the revolution of 1848, he accepted the Republic and joined the party of moderate republicans. On 13 October, he became minister of the interior under Louis-Eugène Cavaignac, but retired on the latter's defeat in the presidential election. During the Second French Empire, Dufaure abstained from public life, and practised at the Paris bar with such success that he was elected "bâtonnier" in 1862. In 1863, he succeeded to Étienne-Denis Pasquier's seat in the Académie Française. In 1871, he became a member of the Assembly, and proposed Adolphe Thiers as President  of the Republic. Dufaure became the minister of justice as chief of the party of the "left-centre," and his tenure of office was distinguished by the passage of the jury-law. In 1873, he fell with Thiers, but in 1875 resumed his former post under Louis Buffet, whom he succeeded on 9 March 1876, the first to become president of the council (his predecessors wore the title of vice-presidents of the council). In the same year, he was elected a life senator. On 12 December, he withdrew from the ministry owing to the attacks of the republicans of  the left in the chamber and of the conservatives in the senate. After the conservatives' defeat on 16 May, he returned to power on 24 December 1877. Early in 1879, Dufaure took part in compelling the resignation of Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta, but immediately afterwards (1 February), worn out by opposition, he retired. As Prime Minister, he served as the Acting President of the Republic on 30 January 1879. See G Picot, "M. Dufaure, sa vie et ses discours" (Paris, 1883). Dufaure's First Government, 19 February 1871 – 18 May 1873. Changes Dufaure's Fourth Government, 9 March – 12  December 1876. Changes Dufaure's Fifth Government, 13 December 1877 – 4 February 1879. Changes