MALESHERBES, CHRETIEN GUILLAUME DE LAMOIGNON DE known as Lamoignon-Male sherbes, French statesman, was born at Paris on Dec. 6, 1721, of a famous legal family. He studied law, and proved his capabilities as president of the tour des aides in the parlement of Paris in 1750, in succession to his father who was made chancellor. The chancellor's duty of controlling the press was entrusted to Male sherbes by his father, and made him known to the public. In 1771 the parlements of France were dissolved, and Maupeou's new method of administering justice substituted. Malesherbes remonstrated against the system, and was banished to his country seat at St. Lucie. He was recalled with the old parlement on the accession of Louis XVI. and made minister of the maison du roi in 1775. During his nine months of office he did much to check the practice of issuing lettres de cachet. On retiring from the ministry with Turgot in 1776 he travelled through Switzer land, Germany and Holland. In 1787 his essay on Protestant marriages helped to procure their civil recognition in France.
He was elected a member of the Academie Francaise, and turned to scientific and literary pursuits, but the king summoned him back to the ministry in 1787. After a short term of office, he re tired again into private life, and, as the troubles increased, went to Switzerland. In Dec. 1792, in spite of his old age and long retirement, he voluntarily undertook, with Tronchet and Deseze, the defence of the king before the Convention, and was required to break the news of his condemnation to the king. He then re turned once more to the country, but in Dec. 1793 he was arrested and on April 23, 1794 guillotined, after seeing his daughter, his son-in-law, de Rosambo, and his grand-children executed for their relationship to him.
See Oeuvres choisies de Malesherbes (1809) ; F. A. de Boissy d'Anglas, Essai sur la vie, les &tits et les opinions de M. de Malesherbes (2 vols., 1818) ; de Beaucourt, Captivite et derniers moments de Louis XVI. (2 vols., 1892).