Georges Picquart
Encyclopedia
Marie Georges Picquart was a French army officer and Minister of War. He is best known for his role in the Dreyfus Affair
.
fifth in his year. Following service as an officer of Tirailleurs (native infantry) in French Algeria he subsequently studied at the General Staff Academy (l'école d'État-major) where he was second in his class, before beoming a lecturer at the War Academy (l'École supérieure de guerre). One of his students at the latter institute was Alfred Dreyfus.
, service de renseignement militaire) in 1896, Picquart discovered that the memorandum (the bordereau) that had been used to convict Captain Alfred Dreyfus
had been the work of Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy
. Several high ranking generals warned Colonel Picquart to conceal his discovery but Picquart persisted and continued his investigation. In this he was hindered and sabotaged by subordinate officers, notably Major Henry
. As a consequence Picquart was relieved of duty with the Deuxième Bureau and sent (December 1896) to regimental duty in Tunis
.
After the trial of Émile Zola
, Picquart was himself accused of forging the note that had convinced him of Esterhazy's guilt. He was then arrested for forgery and was waiting for a court martial during the period that the French Supreme Court
was reviewing the Dreyfus case. After the second court-martial - held as a consequence of the conclusions of the Supreme Court - Picquart resigned from the army but the exoneration of Alfred Dreyfus in 1906 also absolved Picquart, who was, by an act of the Chamber of Deputies, promoted to brigadier-general. General Picquart subsequently entered Georges Clemenceau
's first cabinet as Minister of War. He held that position for the entire duration of the Clemenceau Cabinet, from 25 October 1906 to 24 July 1909.
A keen amateur pianist, Picquart was a regular visitor to the Chaigneau family, whose daughters formed the Trio Chaigneau
. He later helped arrange concerts for them.
While still a serving army officer, Picquart died on 18 January 1914 from injuries received in a fall from a horse.
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s. It involved the conviction for treason in November 1894 of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent...
.
Early career
Major Picquart began his military career in 1872, graduating from the école spéciale militaire de Saint-CyrSaint-Cyr
The toponym Saint-Cyr refers to the popular child-saint Saint Quiricus , whose following was strong in France because relics were brought back from Antioch by the 4th-century Bishop Saint Amator of Auxerre...
fifth in his year. Following service as an officer of Tirailleurs (native infantry) in French Algeria he subsequently studied at the General Staff Academy (l'école d'État-major) where he was second in his class, before beoming a lecturer at the War Academy (l'École supérieure de guerre). One of his students at the latter institute was Alfred Dreyfus.
Piquart and the Dreyfus Affair
Piquart was then appointed to the General Staff in Paris. As a staff officer he acted as reporter of the debates in the first Dreyfus court martial for the then Minister of War and the Chief of the General Staff. Picquart was subsequently promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel on 6 April 1896. When appointed chief of the army's intelligence section (Deuxième BureauDeuxième Bureau
The Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major général was France's external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. It was dissolved together with the Third Republic upon the armistice with Germany...
, service de renseignement militaire) in 1896, Picquart discovered that the memorandum (the bordereau) that had been used to convict Captain Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most tense political dramas in modern French and European history...
had been the work of Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy
Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy
Charles Marie Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy was a commissioned officer in the French armed forces during the second half of the 19th century who has gained notoriety as a spy for the German Empire and the actual perpetrator of the act of treason for which Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused...
. Several high ranking generals warned Colonel Picquart to conceal his discovery but Picquart persisted and continued his investigation. In this he was hindered and sabotaged by subordinate officers, notably Major Henry
Hubert-Joseph Henry
Hubert-Joseph Henry , French Lieutenant-Colonel in 1897 involved in the Dreyfus affair. Arrested for having forged evidence against Alfred Dreyfus, he was found dead in his prison cell...
. As a consequence Picquart was relieved of duty with the Deuxième Bureau and sent (December 1896) to regimental duty in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
.
After the trial of Émile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
, Picquart was himself accused of forging the note that had convinced him of Esterhazy's guilt. He was then arrested for forgery and was waiting for a court martial during the period that the French Supreme Court
Court of Cassation (France)
The French Supreme Court of Judicature is France's court of last resort having jurisdiction over all matters triable in the judicial stream but only scope of review to determine a miscarriage of justice or certify a question of law based solely on points of law...
was reviewing the Dreyfus case. After the second court-martial - held as a consequence of the conclusions of the Supreme Court - Picquart resigned from the army but the exoneration of Alfred Dreyfus in 1906 also absolved Picquart, who was, by an act of the Chamber of Deputies, promoted to brigadier-general. General Picquart subsequently entered Georges Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
's first cabinet as Minister of War. He held that position for the entire duration of the Clemenceau Cabinet, from 25 October 1906 to 24 July 1909.
A keen amateur pianist, Picquart was a regular visitor to the Chaigneau family, whose daughters formed the Trio Chaigneau
Suzanne Chaigneau
Suzanne Chaigneau, born Chailly-en-Bière, 14 June 1875, died Paris 13 April 1946, was a French violinist and chamber musician....
. He later helped arrange concerts for them.
While still a serving army officer, Picquart died on 18 January 1914 from injuries received in a fall from a horse.
External link
- Dreyfus Rehabilitated
- Official Website of Geudertheim with page about Général Picquart (in French).