TURGOT, tnr'gii'. ANNE ROBERT JACQUES, Baron de l'Aulne (1727-81). A French economist and statesman. He was born in Paris."M ay 10.1727. of an old family of Normandy, and was destined for an ecclesiastical career. but after studying for a time at the Sorbonne, where he won some dis tinction, he turned from the Church and devoted himself to the study of jurisprudence and po litical economy. In these fields he allied himself with the philosophical and liheral thought of his time. He was a contributor to the Encycloin'the and became a member of the physiocratic school of economists. Be became councilor to the Parle ment in 1752, and in 1761 was made intendant of Limoges, administering the affairs of that prov ince for thirteen years, and carrying out within this field such reforms as the ancient prejudices would allow. He introduced a more equitable administration of imposts. and succeeded in abolishing the old method of repairing roads and bridges by the compulsory labor of the poor in habitants of the district, the corvee (q.v.). He also exerted himself for the protection of com merce. A wider field opened before him when he was called into the Ministry after the death of Louis XV. The finances were in the utmost disorder, and the whole social and political sys tem of France needed regeneration and reform. Turgot was first made Minister of Marine, and afterwards Comptroller-General of France, when to fill that post was to bevirtually Prime Minister.
His first achievement was so far to reduce the expenditure as to leave a surplus of 20 millions of francs a year to be applied to the liquidation of old debts. Ile augmented the public revenue without imposing new taxes. One of his first measures was the carrying out of free trade in earn throughout the interior of the kingdom. He ainied at establishing complete freedom of trade within the country. and to make the no bility and clergy contribute to the public reve nue in the same proportion as the third estate. He wished, by means of provincial assemblies, to accustom the nation to public life, and prepare it for the restoration of the States-General. But the privileged classes whose exemptions were threatened, nobles, courtiers, farmers of the rev enue, and financiers, united against him. The King forsook him, and Turgot retired in May, I7Z6, having held office for only twenty months. After his retirement he again devoted himself to literary pursuits and to his favorite scientific studies. His most important work, Refle.rions sur la formation. et la distribution des richesses (1766). is one of the chief productions of the physiocratie school. (See PliTSIOCRATS.) His complete works were published in nine volumes (Paris. 1808-11), and have since been reprinted. Consult : Condoreet, Vie de Turgot (Paris, 1786) : Stephens, The Life and Writings of Turgot (1895).