Daru

Daru, Pierre Antoine, Comte (1767-1829), a French statesman and writer, was born at Montpellier. He became a soldier at the age of 16, and, having adopted revolutionary principles, he came to the notice of Napoleon, who thought highly of him and appointed him Intendant-General of Austria and Prussia in 1805 and following years. On Napoleon's return from Elba he was made Minister for War. He was appointed a member of the National Institute in 1805, and in 1815 became President of the Academy. Louis XVIII. made him a peer in 1818, but he always combated the reactionary tendencies of the Bourbons. Among his works are a Life of Sully, a History of Venice, a translation of Horace, and Poems.