Claude de Beauharnais (1756-1819)

Claude de Beauharnais (26 September 1756, La Rochelle - 10 January 1819, Paris) was a French politician.

Life

Family

He was the son of Claude de Beauharnais (1717-1784), comte of Les Roches-Baritaud (uncle of Alexandre de Beauharnais and of François de Beauharnais) and his wife Fanny. His mother held a famous salon in Paris.

He married twice. The first time was on 5 April 1768 to Claudine Françoise Adrienne Gabrielle de Lézay-Marnézia, by whom he had one son, Albéric Jules Albert de Beauharnais (23.08.1787 - 1791), who died in infancy, and one daughter, Stéphanie de Beauharnais (born 28 August 1789 - 1859), who became the adoptive daughter of Napoleon I, married Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, and died as dowager grand-duchess. He remarried on 7 February 1775 to Sophie Fortin Duplessis, and they had only one child, Josephine de Beauharnais (11 December 1803 - 14 November 1871).

Military career

He joined the army early and was a captain in the régiment des gardes françaises at the outbreak of the French Revolution.

Political career

On 5 pluviôse year XII he was made president of the electoral college of the Vendée département, also becoming a Sénat conservateur on 1 floréal year XII. He was made a member of the Légion d'honneur on the following 25 prairial.

Napoleon I granted him the sénatorerie of Amiens on 16 March 1806. He was made comte de l'Empire on 6 June 1808.

In 1810, he became a member of the conseil d'administration of the Sénat conservateur, a chevalier d'honneur of empress Marie-Louise and grand cross of the ordre de la Fidélité (on 24 February). On 30 June 1811 he became a grand-officer of the Légion d'honneur.

On the Bourbon Restoration, Louis XVIII added to the honours Claude had received under Napoleon, including Pair de France on 4 June 1814. In the triaf of Marshal Ney, Claude voted for his death.

ource

*"Dictionnaire Bouillet"
*"Claude de Beauharnais", in Adolphe Robert, Edgar Bourloton and Gaston Cougny, [http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/biographies/1789-1889/index.asp Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1789-1891), XIXe siècle]
* [http://web.genealogie.free.fr/Les_dynasties/Les_dynasties_celebres/France/Dynastie_de_Beauharnais.htm Genealogy of the Beauharnais dynasty]