Claude de Beauharnais (1756–1819)


Claude de Beauharnais was a French politician.

Life

Family

He was the son of Claude de Beauharnais, comte of Les Roches-Baritaud and his wife Fanny. His mother held a famous salon in Paris.
He married twice. The first time was in 1783 to Claudine Françoise Adrienne Gabrielle de Lézay-Marnézia, by whom he had one son, Albéric Jules Albert de Beauharnais, who died in infancy, and one daughter, Stéphanie de Beauharnais, who became the adoptive daughter of Napoleon I, married Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, and died as dowager grand-duchess. He remarried in 1799 to Sophie Fortin Duplessis, and they had only one child, Josephine de Beauharnais.

Military career

He joined the army early and was a captain in the régiment des gardes françaises at the outbreak of the French Revolution.

Political career

On 5 pluviôse year XII he was made president of the electoral college of the Vendée département, also becoming a Sénat conservateur on 1 floréal year XII. He was made a member of the Légion d'honneur on the following 25 prairial.
Napoleon I granted him the sénatorerie of Amiens on 16 March 1806. He was made comte de l'Empire on 6 June 1808.
In 1810, he became a member of the conseil d'administration of the Sénat conservateur, a chevalier d'honneur of empress Marie-Louise and grand cross of the ordre de la Fidélité. On 30 June 1811 he became a grand-officer of the Légion d'honneur.
On the Bourbon Restoration, Louis XVIII added to the honours Claude had received under Napoleon, including Pair de France on 4 June 1814. In the trial of Marshal Ney, Claude voted for his death.