LANFREY, lfix'fra', PIERRE ( IS2S-77). A French historian and politician, born at Chant Wry. Savoy. He was educated at the Jesuit col lege at Cham•ry. from which, however. he was expelled, and at the Lyek. Bourbon. Paris, where be completed his studies in 1847. He then took up law at the universities of Grenoble and Turin. Ilis bent. however, was toward philosophical and historical studies, and in 1853 he returned to Paris to enter the world of politics and journal ism. He first attracted public attention by the publication in 1855 of L'eglise et les philosophes du 'Vine sieele. This was followed in 1857 by his •ssai sur to revolution franeaise, and in 1869 by his Histoire politique des pipes and the social istic novel Lettres d'Ererard. The same year he became editor of the Revue Yttthinttle. In 1863 he published his work Le retablisscmcnt de la Poloyne. Resigning his editorship in 1864. he de
voted himself to his great work, a political and social study of the First Empire, covering the period to 1812. published under the title Histoire dc Napoleon Ier (1867-74). This is an able and scholarly arraignment of the first Napoleon, and counteracted Thiers's laudation of the Emperor. Lanfrey fought with the Garde Mobile in the Franco-German War. In 1871 lie was elected a member of the Assembly from Marseilles. and shortly afterwards was appointed Ambassador to Switzerland. In 1873. on tile election of Mae Mahon to the Presidency, he resigned his posi tion. and in 1875 was elected a life Senator. In politics he acted with the Moderate Left. He (lied at Pau, November 15, 1877. Consult, for his life, three articles by Comte d'Haussonville, in the Revue des Lkus. Mondes (Paris, 18S0).