RIBOT, ALEXANDRE FELIX JOSEPH (1842-1923), French statesman, was born at St. Omer on Feb. 7, 1842. After a brilliant career at the University of Paris, he rapidly made his mark at the bar. He was secretary of the conference of advocates and one of the founders of the Societe de legislation comparee. After entering the Chamber of Deputies in 1878 he devoted him self especially to financial questions, and in 1882 was reporter of the budget. He became one of the most prominent republican opponents of the Radical party, distinguishing himself by his attacks on the short-lived Gambetta ministry. He refused to vote the credits demanded by the Ferry cabinet for the Tong king expedition, and shared with M. Clemenceau in the overthrow of the ministry in 1885. At the general election of that year he was defeated, but re-entered the chamber in 1887. After 1889 he sat for St. Omer. His fear of the Boulangist movement con verted him to the policy of "Republican Concentration," and he entered office in 1890 as foreign minister in the Freycinet cabinet. He gave a fresh direction to French policy by the understanding with Russia, declared to the world by the visit of the French fleet to Cronstadt in 1891, and subsequently ripened into a formal treaty of alliance. He retained his post in the Loubet ministry (Feb.—Nov. 1892), and on its defeat became himself president of the council, retaining the direction of foreign affairs. The government resigned in March 1893 on the refusal of the chamber to accept the Senate's amendments to the budget. On the election of Felix Faure as president of the Republic in Jan. 1895, Ribot again became premier and minister of finance. On June io he made the official announcement of a definite alliance with Russia. On Oct. 3o the ministry fell. After the fall of the Meline ministry
in 1898 Ribot tried in vain to form a cabinet of "conciliation." The policy of the Waldeck-Rousseau ministry on the religious teaching congregations broke up the Republican party, and Ribot was among the seceders; but at the general election of 1902, though he himself secured re-election, his policy suffered a severe check. He actively opposed the policy of the Combes ministry and denounced the alliance with Jaures, and on Jan. 13, 1905, he was one of the leaders of the opposition which brought about the fall of the cabinet. Nevertheless, he now announced his willing ness to recognize a new regime to replace the Concordat, and gave the government his support in the establishment of the Associa tions cultuelles, while he secured some mitigation of the severities attending the separation.
In June 1914 M. Poincare summoned Ribot to form a cabinet. He succeeded in doing so but his Government did not survive the first ministerial declaration. He returned to office in Aug. 1914 as minister of finance in M. Viviani's reconstituted ministry of national defence. He held the same office in the ministry formed by M. Briand on Oct. 29, 1915, and again in the reduced cabinet of Dec. 1916. In March 1917 he succeeded M. Briand as prime minister and minister of foreign affairs. He gave way in Sept. of the same year to M. Painleve, in whose Government he re tained the ministry of foreign affairs, which he resigned in the following month. M. Ribot was a member of the Academie Fran caise and of the Academie des Sciences Politiques et Morales. He died in Paris Jan. 13, 1923.
See M. Laurent, No gouvernements de guerre (i920).