One of France's Secretaries of State under the Ancien Régime was entrusted with control of the French Navy (Secretary of State of the Navy (France).) In 1791, this title was changed to Minister of the Navy. Before January 1893, this position also had responsibility for France's colonies, and was usually known as Minister of the Navy and Colonies, a role thereafter taken by the Minister of the Overseas. In 1947 the naval ministry was absorbed into the Ministry of Defence, with the exception of merchant marine affairs which had been split in 1929 to the separate Ministry of Merchant Marine.
History
The two primary formations of the French Navy, the Ponant Fleet and Levant Fleet, were placed under the control of Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1662, whilst he was "intendant des finances" and "minister of state" – but not "secretary of state" : he only became secretary of state in 1669 after having bought his way into the post. From then on, right up to the French Revolution, a secretary of state had responsibility for the French navy.
The secretary of state was responsible for the administration of both the navy (the "marine royale") and civilian (merchant marine) fleets, and for all France's ports, arsenals, consulates, and colonies, as well as the guardianship for all her commercial companies.
To his two original offices (the bureau du Ponant and bureau du Levant) other services were added over time:
archives department, 1669; office of the Ponant consulates, 1709; office of the colonies, 1710; bureau des classes, 1711; department of maps and plans, 1720; Office of the Levant Consulates, 1738, which was in 1743 merged with the Office of the Ponant Consulates under the name of Office of Commerce and Consulates
These different offices and departments were regrouped into four super-departments by marshal de Castries in 1786.
List of officeholders Secretaries of State for the Navy, 1547–1790 SecretaryBeganEndedCôme Clausse, seigneur de Marchaumont14 September 1547 1558 Florimond II Robertet, seigneur de Fresnes 1558 October 1567Claude de l’Aubespine, seigneur d’Hauterive1 April 15471567Jacques Bourdin, seigneur de Villeines15581567Martin Ruze, seigneur de Beaulieu15 September 15886 November 1613Antoine de Loménie, seigneur de la Ville aux Clercs7 November 161310 August 1615 (he left the post on this date, but retained the precedence and the functions)Henri Auguste de Loménie, seigneur de la Ville aux Clercs13 July 1615February 1643Henry de Guénegaud, marquis de Plancy23 March 16431662Hugues de Lionne, marquis de Fresne4 February 16621669 Jean-Baptiste Colbert7 March 16696 September 1683Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Marquis de SeignelaySeptember 16833 November 1690Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain7 November 16906 September 1699Jérôme Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain6 September 16991 October 1715Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, comte de Toulouse and Victor Marie d'Estrées (Presidents of the Council of Marine)1 October 171524 September 1718Joseph Jean Baptiste Fleuriau d'Armenonville24 September 171828 February 1722Charles Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, comte de Morville28 February 172216 August 1723Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, comte de Maurepas16 August 172323 April 1749Antoine Louis Rouillé30 April 174924 July 1754Jean Baptiste de Machault D'Arnouville24 July 17541 February 1757François Marie Peyrenc de Moras1 February 175731 May 1758Claude Louis d'Espinchal, marquis de Massiac31 May 175831 October 1758Nicolas René Berryer31 October 175813 October 1761Étienne François, duc de Choiseul13 October 176110 April 1766César Gabriel de Choiseul-Chevigny, duc de Praslin10 April 176624 December 1770Joseph Marie Terray24 December 17709 April 1771Pierre Étienne Bourgeois de Boynes9 April 177120 July 1774Anne Robert Jacques Turgot20 July 177424 August 1774Antoine de Sartine24 August 177413 October 1780Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries13 October 178024 August 1787Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem25 August 178724 December 1787César Henri, comte de La Luzerne24 December 178713 July 1789Arnaud de Laporte13 July 178916 July 1789César Henri, comte de La Luzerne16 July 178926 October 1790
Ministers of the Navy and the Colonies, 1790–1893 MinisterBeganEndedCharles Pierre Claret de Fleuriau26 October 179017 May 1791Antoine Jean Marie Thévenard17 May 179118 September 1791Claude Antoine Valdec de Lessart18 September 17917 October 1791Antoine François, comte Bertrand de Molleville7 October 179116 March 1792Jean de Lacoste16 March 179221 July 1792François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage21 July 179210 August 1792Gaspard Monge10 August 179210 April 1793Jean Dalbarade (commissioner from 20 April 1794)10 April 17932 July 1795Jean-Claude Redon de Beaupréau (commissioner)2 July 17954 November 1795Laurent Jean François Truguet4 November 179515 July 1797Georges René Le Peley de Pléville15 July 179727 April 1798Étienne Eustache Bruix27 April 17984 March 1799Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord7 March 17992 July 1799Marc Antoine Bourdon de Vatry2 July 179922 November 1799Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait22 November 17993 October 1801Denis Decrès3 October 18011 April 1814Pierre Victor, baron Malouet3 April 18147 September 1814Jacques, comte Beugnot7 September 181420 March 1815Denis, duc Decrès20 March 18157 July 1815François Arnail, comte de Jaucourt9 July 181526 September 1815François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage26 September 181523 June 1817Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr23 June 181712 September 1817Mathieu Louis, comte Molé12 September 181729 December 1818Pierre Barthélemy, baron Portal29 December 181814 December 1821Aimé, duc de Clermont-Tonnerre14 December 18214 August 1824Christophe, comte de Chabrol de Crouzol4 August 18243 March 1828Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville3 March 18288 August 1829Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny8 August 182923 August 1829Charles Lemercier de Longpré, baron d'Haussez23 August 182931 July 1830Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny31 July 183011 August 1830Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani11 August 183017 November 1830Antoine, comte d'Argout17 November 183013 March 1831Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny13 March 18314 April 1834Albin Reine, baron Roussin4 April 183419 May 1834Louis Léon, comte Jacob19 May 183410 November 1834Charles, baron Dupin10 November 183418 November 1834Victor Guy, baron Duperré18 November 18346 September 1836Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel6 September 183631 March 1839Jean Marguerite Tupinier31 March 183912 May 1839Victor Guy, baron Duperré12 May 18391 March 1840Albin Reine, baron Roussin1 March 184029 October 1840Victor Guy, baron Duperré29 October 18407 February 1843Albin Reine, baron Roussin7 February 184324 July 1843Ange René Armand, baron de Mackau24 July 18439 May 1847Louis Napoléon Lannes, duc de Montebello9 May 184724 February 1848François Arago24 February 184811 May 1848Joseph Grégoire Cazy11 May 184828 June 1848Jules Bastide28 June 184817 July 1848Raymond-Jean-Baptiste de Verninac Saint-Maur17 July 184820 December 1848Alexandre César Victor Charles Destutt de Tracy20 December 184831 October 1849Joseph Romain-Desfossés31 October 18499 January 1851Théodore Ducos9 January 185124 January 1851Auguste Nicolas Vaillant24 January 185110 April 1851Justin de Chasseloup-Laubat10 April 185126 October 1851Hippolyte Fortoul26 October 18513 December 1851Théodore Ducos3 December 185117 April 1855Ferdinand Hamelin19 April 185524 November 1860Justin de Chasseloup-Laubat24 November 186020 January 1867Charles Rigault de Genouilly20 January 18674 September 1870Léon Martin Fourichon4 September 187019 February 1871Louis Marie Alexis Pothuau19 February 187125 May 1873Charles Dompierre d'Hormoy25 May 187322 May 1874Louis Raymond de Montaignac de Chauvance22 May 18749 March 1876 Léon Martin Fourichon9 March 187617 May 1877 Albert Gicquel des Touches17 May 1877 23 November 1877Albert Roussin23 November 187713 December 1877Louis Marie Alexis Pothuau13 December 18774 February 1879Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry4 February 187929 January 1880Georges Charles Cloué29 January 188014 November 1881Auguste Gougeard (Marine only)14 November 188130 January 1882Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry30 January 188229 January 1883François de Mahy31 January 188331 February 1883Charles Brun31 February 18839 August 1883Alexandre Louis François Peyron9 August 18836 April 1885Charles Eugène Galiber6 April 18857 January 1886Théophile Aube7 January 188630 May 1887Édouard Barbey30 May 188712 December 1887François de Mahy12 December 18875 January 1888Jules-François-Émile Krantz5 January 188822 February 1889Benjamin Jaurès22 February 188913 March 1889Jules François Émile Krantz (Marine only)19 March 188910 November 1889Édouard Barbey (Marine only)10 November 188927 February 1892Godefroy Cavaignac (Marine only to 8 March 1892)27 February 18928 March 1892Auguste Burdeau8 March 189211 January 1893
Naval Ministers, 1893–1947 MinisterBeganEndedAdrien, Barthélemy, Louis, Henri Rieunier12 January 18933 December 1893Auguste Alfred Lefèvre3 December 189330 May 1894Félix Faure30 May 189417 January 1895Armand Louis Charles Gustave Besnard17 January 18951 November 1895Édouard Locroy1 November 189529 April 1896Armand Louis Charles Gustave Besnard29 April 189628 June 1898Édouard Locroy28 June 189822 June 1899Jean-Marie de Lanessan22 June 18997 June 1902Charles Camille Pelletan7 June 190224 January 1905Gaston Thomson24 January 190522 October 1908Alfred Picard22 October 190824 July 1909Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère24 July 19092 March 1911Théophile Delcassé2 March 191121 January 1913Pierre Baudin21 January 19139 December 1913Ernest Monis9 December 191320 March 1914Armand Gauthier de l'Aude20 March 19149 June 1914Émile Chautemps9 June 191413 June 1914Armand Gauthier de l'Aude13 June 19143 August 1914Victor Augagneur3 August 191429 October 1915Lucien Lacaze29 October 19152 August 1917Charles Chaumet2 August 191716 November 1917Georges Leygues16 November 191720 January 1920Adolphe Landry20 January 192016 January 1921Gabriel Guist'hau16 January 192115 January 1922Flaminius Raiberti15 January 192229 March 1924Maurice Bokanowski29 March 19249 June 1924Désiré Ferry9 June 192414 June 1924Jacques-Louis Dumesnil14 June 192417 April 1925Émile Borel17 April 192528 November 1925Georges Leygues28 November 192519 July 1926René Renoult19 July 192623 July 1926Georges Leygues23 July 192621 February 1930Albert Sarraut21 February 19302 March 1930Jacques-Louis Dumesnil2 March 193013 December 1930Albert Sarraut13 December 193027 January 1931Charles Dumont27 January 193120 February 1932Georges Leygues3 June 19322 September 1933Albert Sarraut6 September 193330 January 1934Louis de Chappedelaine30 January 19349 February 1934François Piétri9 February 19341 June 1936Alphonse Gasnier-Duparc1 June 193622 June 1937César Campinchi22 June 193718 January 1938William Bertrand18 January 193813 March 1938César Campinchi13 March 193816 June 1940François Darlan16 June 194018 April 1942Émile Muselier (commissioner for the navy, Free France)24 September 19414 March 1942Philippe Auboyneau (commissioner for the navy, Free France)4 March 19427 June 1943Gabriel Auphan18 April 194218 November 1942Jean-Marie Charles Abrial18 November 194226 March 1943Henri Bléhaut26 March 194319 August 1944Louis Jacquinot (commissioner for the navy, Free France)9 November 194310 September 1944Louis Jacquinot (Provisional Government, 1st Ministry of Charles de Gaulle)10 September 194421 November 1945Louis Jacquinot 22 January 194722 October 1947
See also Minister of the Armies (France) Minister of Air (France) Minister of the Colonies (France) Minister of the Overseas (France) Minister of Merchant Marine (France)
References