CLEMENCEAU, GEORGES BEN JAMIN EUGENE (1841 — ). A French politician, born at Monilleron-en-Pareds, in the Depart ment of Vendee, September 28. 1841. While studying medicine in Paris, Clemenceau en gaged in political intrigues. and his extreme republican views cost him his privileges as a student. He went abroad for some time, and paid a short visit to the United States. On his return to France in 1869. lie finished his medical course and began the practice of his profession.
There he acquired great political influence, and after the fall of the Empire was chosen mayor of the Eighteenth Arroadissement (Buttes Montmartre), and member of the Commission of Education. In 1871 he was elected to the Na tional Assembly, where he voted throughout with the Extreme Left. During the stormy period of the Commune, Clemenceau acted with mod eration and good sense. After unavailing efforts to bring about it reconciliation between the Government and the Commune, he resigned his office of mayor, and gave up his seat in the As sembly. In July. 1871, he was elected to the
:Municipal Council. and rose to be president of that body; in 1810 he became a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and soon acquired con siderable prominence as the balder of the Ex treme Left, and the opponent, successively, of Gambetta, 14'rry. and the Boulangists. The Panama disehtsures of 1892 had a damaging effect on Clemeneeau's political reputation, and he lost his seat in the Chamber. For the last ten years he has figured more as a journalist than as a politician, devoting himself mainly to the editing of the radical journal La Jus tice, founded by him in 1880. He published Les massacres d'Armenie (1896) ; "L'iniquite,” "Contre la justice," and "Vers In reparation" (1899-1900), reprints of articles in L'Aurore on the Dreyfus Affair. championing Dreyfus; and also several works of fiction and one or two social studies. In 1902 he was elected a member of the Senate. Consult Pelletan. C•lebrites contemporaines (2 vols., Paris, 1888).