Jules Armand Dufaure
Jules Armand Stanislas Dufaure (4 December 1798 – 28 June 1881) was a French statesman who served three non-consecutive terms as Prime Minister of France. He was born in Saujon, Charente-Maritime, and began his career as a lawyer in Bordeaux, earning a strong reputation for his speaking.
He entered politics in 1834 as a deputy. In 1839 he became minister of public works, helping to remove obstacles to railway construction in France. He left office in 1840 and became a leader of the moderate republicans. After the 1848 Revolution, he joined the Republic and served as minister of the interior in 1848 under Cavaignac, but retired after Cavaignac’s defeat in the presidential election.
During the Second Empire he stayed out of public life and practiced law, becoming bâtonnier in 1862. In 1863 he joined the Académie Française. In 1871 he became a member of the Assembly and supported Adolphe Thiers for President. He served as minister of justice as part of the left‑centre, and his time in that role was noted for the jury-law.
He left office with Thiers in 1873 but returned in 1875. He succeeded Louis Buffet as president of the council on 9 March 1876, the first to hold the title, and he was also elected a life senator. He stepped down on 12 December 1877, but returned to power on 24 December 1877. In early 1879 he helped push Patrice de Mac‑Mahon to resign, but he retired again on 1 February 1879, worn out by opposition. As prime minister, he served as Acting President of the Republic on 30 January 1879.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:10 (CET).