Girardin Emilede

Girardin, Emile de (1806-81), a French journalist, nicknamed for his political instability "La Girandole" (weathercock), was born in Paris, the natural son of Alexandre de Girardin and Madame Dupuy. His Emile (1827) dealt with conditions of birth similar to his own. Next year he became Inspector of Fine Arts, and now began to found several popular journals, the most successful of which was La Presse. His principles were summed up in the motto "Au jour le jour." He killed the editor of the National in a duel. So far as he had any consistency, he was a republican, and opposed Louis Napoleon's coup d'etat. From 1862 to 1870 he edited the Liberte, and in 1874 founded La France. He was for some years a strong Socialist. His dramas were not successful, unlike those of his wife (his first, nee Delphine Gay), author of several tragedies in which Rachel acted, and comedies, and of Lettres Parisiennes. She had a brilliant salon, but died as early a 1851.