DILLON, ARTHUR RICHARD French archbishop, was the son of Arthur Dillon (167o-1733), an Irish general in the French service. He was born at St. Germain, held many important preferments and in 1763 became archbishop of Narbonne, and in that capacity, president of the estates of Langue doc. He carried out many works of public utility, bridges, canals, roads, harbours, etc., had chairs of chemistry and of physics cre ated at Montpellier and at Toulouse, and tried to reduce poverty. In 1787 and 1788 he was a member of the Assembly of Notables called by Louis XVI., and in 1788 presided over the assembly of the clergy. Refusing to accept the civil constitution of the clergy, Dillon emigrated to Coblenz in 1791. He lived in London until his death in 1807, never accepting the Concordat.
See L. Audibret, Le Dernier President des Etats du Languedoc, Mgr. Arthur Richard Dillon, archeveque de Narbonne (Bordeaux, 1868) ; L. de Lavergne, Les Assemblees provinciales sous Louis XVI. (Paris, 1864) .