PERSIGNY, JEAN Grrair.h.r VICTOR, Duc de, whose proper name was FrAnn; a noted adherent of the emperor Napoleon III., was born at Saint-Germain-Lespinasse, in the department of Loire, Jan. 11, 1808, entered the ecale de carotene at Saumur in 1826, and obtained an appointment to the 4th regiment of hussars in 1828. At this period Falb; was royalist in his politics; but he soon changed to a liberal, and took an active part in the July revolution. Insubordination, however, led to his final expulsion from the army in 1833. After a brief trial of Saint-Simonianism, Fialin was converted to the Bonapartist cause, dropped the name of Fialin, and took up that of Persigny (from an "hereditary estate"), with the title of vicomte. Introduced to Louis Napoleon by the ex-king Joseph, he at once formed the most intimate relations with the prince, and coin. menced a career of Bonapartist propagandism throughout France and Germany, in which he displayed extraordinary energy, pertinacity, and fertility of resource. Ile had the chief hand in the affair of Strasburg, and subsequently apologized for its humiliating failure in a pamphlet entitled Relation de l'Enterpri,se du Prince Napoleon Louis (Loud. 1837), in which lie throws the blame of the disaster on " fate." He also took part in the descent on Boulogne, where, like his master, he had the misfortune to be captured, and was condemned to twenty years' imprisonment. His confinement, however, after a short time, became almost nominal, and lie beguiled his leisure by literary study, a partial result of which may be seen in his voluminous memoir, addressed to the institute, on the Utilite des Pgramides d'Egypte (1844). On the breaking out of the revolution in 1848 Persigny hurried to Paris, and set himself, with his accustomed vigor and swiftness, to organize the Bonapartists. It is hardly too much to affirm that it was this dexterous
agitator who made his master president of the republic. He was then appointed aide•de camp to the president, and maj.gen. of the Parisian national guard—perhaps with a view to future contingencies. In 1849 lie was chosen a member of the legislative assembly, and immediately signalized himself in parliament, as he had previously done out of doors, by his absolute devotion to the policy of the Elysee. He was sent to Berlin as ambassador at the close of the same year, and afterward held other high diplomatic offices; took a prominent part in the coup d'etat of Dec. 1851; and, in Jan. 1852, suc ceeded M. de Morny as minister of the interior. On the 27th of May following he mar ried a granddaughter of marshal Ney, when the president conferred on him the title of emote, and presented him with 500,000 francs. In 1855 he became ambassador at the English court, which office lie held till 1858, and again during 1859 to 1860, leaving on both occasions the most favorable impression on English statesmen, by his talent and diplomatic tact. In the latter year he was recalled, to resume the office of minister of the interior. lie laid down the portfolio of this office in June 1863, when the elections of Paris and other large towns showed dissatisfaction with his policy. In September of the same year he was created duke. Thereafter lie proved himself in the senate a zeal ous Bonapartist, till the overthrow of the empire. He did not long survive •it, having (lied in 1872.