LAFFITTE, JACQUES, a French banker and statesman, b. of humble parentage at Bayonne, Oct. 24, 1767, was early employed as a clerk by the rich banker Perregaux in Paris, and succeeded him iu business in 1809. He soon rose to great wealth and a Euro pean reputation. He was made president of the chamber of commerce, and in 1814 governor of the bank of France. On the return of Napoleon from Elba, Louis XVIII. deposited a large sum in Laffitte's hands; and after the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon intrusted 5,000,000 francs to him, which he kept safe, although the government made some attempts to lay hold of it. After the second restoration, he became one of the opposition in the chamber of deputies, and enjoyed the highest popularity in Paris. When the revolution broke out in 1830, lie wrote to the duke of Orleans, saying, "You have to make -our choice between a crown and a passport." He freely sup
plied the money requisite on that occasion. He became one of the first ministry of the new king, and in Nov., 1830, was intrusted with the formation of a cabinet, the conservative character of which caused the loss of his popularity. Meanwhile ni banking affairs fell into confusion, and he was obliged to sell all Ms property to pay his debts. A national subscription preserved him his hotel in Paris; and being again elected to the chamber as a deputy for Paris, he became a leader of the opposition. Fronk the ruins of his fortune he founded a new discount bank. As the government receded more from the principles .61 the revolution of 1830, Lafitte became more active in opposition. In 1843, to the great displeasure of the court, he was elected president of the chamber of deputies. He died, May 26, 1841.