Marthe Richard
Encyclopedia
Marthe Richard, née Betenfeld (1889–1982) was a prostitute
and spy
. She later became a politician and worked towards the closing of brothel
s in France
in 1946.
, she was forced to leave for Paris
, where she met and later wed Henry Richer in 1907. He was a rich industrialist who worked at Les Halles
.
In 1912, her husband bought himself a plane and she flew it for the first time in 1913. She claimed in the press at the time to have broken the female record for the Le Crotoy
–Zurich
trip. She actually only flew the plane to Burgundy
, whence it was shipped by train to the Zurich countryside, and flew it into Zurich. However, the new record was approved.
in 1916. She became a spy under Captain Georges Ladoux
thanks to her lover, a young Russian anarchist. As part of her duties, she became the mistress of Von Krohn, the head of the German
Navy in Madrid
. On their return to France, she discovered that Captain Ladoux was a double agent and he was placed under arrest.
She married Thomas Crompton in 1926. He was the financial director for the Rockefeller Foundation
and patron of the restoration of the Petit Trianon
. When he died unexpectedly in 1928 in Genève, she moved to Bougival
and lived very well.
After being released from prison and restored to the post of commander, Captain Ladoux published his fictionalized Memoires in 1930. The volume about Richard, Marthe Richard, spy in the French service, was mostly an invention. She claimed half of the vast royalties and accepted the advice to write her own memoirs. Under the pseudonym of Richard she published the best seller, My life as a spy in the French service (adapted as a film in 1937) and instantly became a heroine of France. Under media pressure, her lover Édouard Herriot
, French Prime Minister at the time, gave the widowed Mme Crompton the Légion d'honneur
for Foreign Affairs.
During World War II
, her courage was admired in France and she was hated in Germany. She got close to certain members of the Gestapo
, including François Spirito
.
on the MRP
ticket. When she was accused of claiming 300,000 franc
s for the release of a convicted German traitor, her reputation saved her. Also, her many contradictions raised skepticism among some people.
When the MRP wanted to outlaw prostitution, she tried to convince the municipal council, but they refused. Then on December 13, 1945, she presented her plan for the closing of brothels in the IVe arondissement. The proposition was passed, and they were closed within three months. Encouraged, Marthe Richard began a campaign to end prostitution in all of France.
On April 9, 1946, Marcel Roclore, Minister of State, presented the Commission's report on the population and public health, and concluded that closing the brothels was a necessity. Pierre Dominjon proposed a bill for this purpose. The bill, now known as La loi Marthe Richard, was passed with the votes of an alliance of the Christian democrat MRP
and the Communists.
On April 13, 1946, the prostitution registry was destroyed and 1,400 brothels were closed, including 180 in Paris. Many brothels were converted into hotels, which prostitutes continued to use. Prostitution was still legal, though many acts surrounding it were made illegal.
by her marriage to Thomas Crompton (her repatriation was denied in 1937). Thus, her election was illegal as were the votes she had participated in.
Meanwhile, the director of Le Crapouillot
, Jean Galtier-Boissière
denounced her services to the nation, accusing her of involvement with organized crime, of smuggling jewels, and of covering up crimes. The inspector of national safety, Jacques Delarue, a specialist in false heroes of war, inquired into the accusations. He found them to be false in 1954. She was called La Veuve Qui Clôt (a pun on Veuve Clicquot
) by Antoine Blondin
.
She died in 1982. She was 92 years old.
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
. She later became a politician and worked towards the closing of brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1946.
Early life
In Nancy, she became an apprentice to a tailor at fourteen, but later was registered as a prostitute in 1905. After a soldier accused her of giving him syphilisSyphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, she was forced to leave for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where she met and later wed Henry Richer in 1907. He was a rich industrialist who worked at Les Halles
Les Halles
Les Halles is an area of Paris, France, located in the 1er arrondissement, just south of the fashionable rue Montorgueil. It is named for the large central wholesale marketplace, which was demolished in 1971, to be replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles...
.
In 1912, her husband bought himself a plane and she flew it for the first time in 1913. She claimed in the press at the time to have broken the female record for the Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy
Le Crotoy is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France. The inhabitants are known as Crotellois-Geography:Le Crotoy is situated on the D143 and D71 crossroads, on the estuary of the river Somme, some northwest of Abbeville....
–Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
trip. She actually only flew the plane to Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
, whence it was shipped by train to the Zurich countryside, and flew it into Zurich. However, the new record was approved.
Espionage
In 1914, she participated in the founding of L'Union patriotique des aviatrices françaises ("Patriotic Union of French Women Aviators") and her husband died in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1916. She became a spy under Captain Georges Ladoux
Georges Ladoux
Georges Ladoux was an army captain and the head of French counter-espionage during World War I, described as "a plump, square-faced man given to smoking a pipe and slicking his dark hair back with shiny oils." He transferred from counter-espionage to the Deuxième Bureau in February 1917. He was...
thanks to her lover, a young Russian anarchist. As part of her duties, she became the mistress of Von Krohn, the head of the German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Navy in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. On their return to France, she discovered that Captain Ladoux was a double agent and he was placed under arrest.
She married Thomas Crompton in 1926. He was the financial director for the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
and patron of the restoration of the Petit Trianon
Petit Trianon
The Petit Trianon is a small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France.-Design and construction:...
. When he died unexpectedly in 1928 in Genève, she moved to Bougival
Bougival
Bougival is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center....
and lived very well.
After being released from prison and restored to the post of commander, Captain Ladoux published his fictionalized Memoires in 1930. The volume about Richard, Marthe Richard, spy in the French service, was mostly an invention. She claimed half of the vast royalties and accepted the advice to write her own memoirs. Under the pseudonym of Richard she published the best seller, My life as a spy in the French service (adapted as a film in 1937) and instantly became a heroine of France. Under media pressure, her lover Édouard Herriot
Édouard Herriot
Édouard Marie Herriot was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister and for many years as President of the Chamber of Deputies....
, French Prime Minister at the time, gave the widowed Mme Crompton the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
for Foreign Affairs.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, her courage was admired in France and she was hated in Germany. She got close to certain members of the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, including François Spirito
François Spirito
François Spirito was a member of the Marseille underworld in France, associated to Paul Carbone. After the Liberation, he fled to Spain and then South America, where he engaged in heroin trade in the so-called French Connection. He was judged in 1952 for Collaborationism and died in...
.
Political career
In 1945, now famous as the "heroine of two wars," she was elected to the municipal council of the IVe arrondissementIVe arrondissement
The 4th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the Right Bank of the River Seine, it is bordered to the west by the 1st arrondissement; to the north by the 3rd, to the east by the 11th and 12th, and to the south by the Seine and the...
on the MRP
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic...
ticket. When she was accused of claiming 300,000 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s for the release of a convicted German traitor, her reputation saved her. Also, her many contradictions raised skepticism among some people.
When the MRP wanted to outlaw prostitution, she tried to convince the municipal council, but they refused. Then on December 13, 1945, she presented her plan for the closing of brothels in the IVe arondissement. The proposition was passed, and they were closed within three months. Encouraged, Marthe Richard began a campaign to end prostitution in all of France.
On April 9, 1946, Marcel Roclore, Minister of State, presented the Commission's report on the population and public health, and concluded that closing the brothels was a necessity. Pierre Dominjon proposed a bill for this purpose. The bill, now known as La loi Marthe Richard, was passed with the votes of an alliance of the Christian democrat MRP
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic...
and the Communists.
On April 13, 1946, the prostitution registry was destroyed and 1,400 brothels were closed, including 180 in Paris. Many brothels were converted into hotels, which prostitutes continued to use. Prostitution was still legal, though many acts surrounding it were made illegal.
Nationality controversy
A controversy surrounding her nationality came up in 1948. She was EnglishEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
by her marriage to Thomas Crompton (her repatriation was denied in 1937). Thus, her election was illegal as were the votes she had participated in.
Meanwhile, the director of Le Crapouillot
Le Crapouillot
Le Crapouillot was a French magazine started by Jean Galtier-Boissière as a satiric publication in France, during World War I. In the trenches during WWI, the affectionate term for le petit crapaud, "the little toad" was used by French soldiers, the poilus, to designate small...
, Jean Galtier-Boissière
Jean Galtier-Boissière
Jean Galtier-Boissière was a writer, polemist, and journalist from Paris, France. He founded Le Crapouillot and wrote for Le Canard enchaîné.-Bibliography:* Croquis De Tranchées. 1917...
denounced her services to the nation, accusing her of involvement with organized crime, of smuggling jewels, and of covering up crimes. The inspector of national safety, Jacques Delarue, a specialist in false heroes of war, inquired into the accusations. He found them to be false in 1954. She was called La Veuve Qui Clôt (a pun on Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin is both a champagne house in Reims, France, and a brand of premium champagne. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot-Muiron, Veuve Clicquot played an important role in establishing champagne as a favored drink of haute bourgeoisie and nobility throughout Europe...
) by Antoine Blondin
Antoine Blondin
Antoine Blondin was a French writer.He belonged to the literary group called the Hussards. He was also a sports columnist in L'Équipe. Blondin also wrote under the name Tenorio.-Biography:...
.
Later life
She went on to write erotic fiction and published a few books. In Appel des sexes she reconsidered her position on prostitution somewhat. She also gave seminars about her time as a spy.She died in 1982. She was 92 years old.
Sources
- Guy Breton, Les beaux mensonges de l'histoire, 1999;
- Alphonse BoudardAlphonse BoudardAlphonse Boudard is a French novelist and playwright. He won the 1977 Prix Renaudot for Les Combattants du petit bonheur....
, La fermeture, 2000; - Natacha Henry, Marthe Richard, l'aventurière des maisons closes“, 2006. (http://www.martherichard.com)
- Patrice Lestrohan's article in Le Canard enchaînéLe Canard enchaînéLe Canard enchaîné is a satirical newspaper published weekly in France. Founded in 1915, it features investigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and humorous cartoons.-Early...
, August 16, 2006.