TOCQUEVILLE, ALEXIS CHARLES HENRI MAURICE CLEREL DE, a French politician; born in Verneuil, July 29, 1805. His father was Herve Louis Francois Joseph Bonaventure Clerel, Comte de Tocqueville (1772-1856), peer of France, politician and historian, and a writer of some merit. The son studied philology at Metz and at Paris (1823 1826). In 1827 he was appointed juge auditeur of the tribunal of Versailles. In 1831-1832 he was sent by the French government, along with his friend M. de Beaumont, to the United States to inspect and report on the American prison sys tem. They published a joint work on their return, entitled "Of the Penitenti ary System in the United States and its Application in France" (Par. 1832; 3d er. 1845). This treatise, which was crowned by the Academy, rec ommends the solitary confinement of prisoners. In 1832 Tocqueville re signed his office under government, and, after a brief visit to England, gave him self up to the composition of the first of his two great works, "Democracy in America" (1835-1840, 15th ed. 1868). This work is in reality a treatise on the general principles which ought to be taken as the rule of action by all demo cratic governments. These are, in brief: (1) full extent of individual liberty with all its concomitants (as freedom of the press, etc.); (2) careful avoidance of cen tralization. The bearing of this on French politics is obvious. This work
was received with the favor it deserved; the Academy awarded to it a special prize of 8,000 francs, and a quick succes sion of honors was bestowed on the author. In 1837 he was appointed cheva lier of the Legion of Honor; in 1839 he was chosen by the electors of Valagnes as their representative; and in 1841 he was elected member of the Academy. For some years practical politics occupied all his attention. In 1849 he entered the Odilon Barrot Cabinet as minister of foreign affairs, but the coup d'etat of Dec. 2—to which, as may be imagined, he was strongly opposed—drove him from office. He then occupied himself with "The Old Government and the Revolu tion" (1856, 7th ed. 1866). This is his greatest work. It was meant to be an exposition of the manner in which the post-revolution France grew out of the pre-revolution France. Tocqueville in tended to follow it up by others dealing with the great events in the later history of France. He was engaged at these when he died in Cannes, April 16, 1859. Besides the works mentioned above, he wrote "Etat Social et Politique de la France" (1834), "Le Droit au Travail" (1848). His "Complete Works" (9 vols. 1860-1865) were edited by his friend M. de Beaumont, who also edited his "Correspondance" (1860).