Jules Claude Gabriel Favre, a French statesman and advocate, born in Lyons, March 21, 1809. His ancestors came from Piedmont, and his father was a merchant. He studied law in Paris, early acquired eminence by defending (1834-'5) persons implicated in socialistic and revolutionary proceedings, and after the revolution of Feb. 24, 1848, was successively chief secretary in the ministry of the interior, member of the constituent assembly, and under secretary for foreign affairs. Elected to the legislative assembly, he was one of the leaders of the opposition during the presidency of Louis Napoleon, and after the coup d'etat of Dec. 2, 1851, declined to recognize the new constitution. Defeated as a candidate for the corps legislatif in Lyons in 1857, he was returned in 1858 by a district of Paris, and won additional fame by his brilliant though unavailing defence' of Orsini, who had attempted to assassinate the emperor. He was the most eloquent of the five so-called irreconcilable opponents of the second empire. Being chosen in 1803 as representative both in Paris and Lyons, he took his seat for the latter city, and made powerful speeches against the Mexican expedition and against the imperial policy in regard to the Roman question, and denounced the convention of Gastein as favoring the unity of Germany at the expense of France. Though persevering in his hostility to Napoleon III., he was defeated by the socialist Raspail at the election of 1809, and only secured his reelection in Paris, where he was opposed by Roche-fort and Cantagrel, by the latter's withdrawal.

His vehement opposition to the policy of the emperor, continued during the Ollivier ministry and the plebiscite movement in the earlier part of 1870, contributed much to increase public excitement; and he also joined Thiers in condemning the warlike preparations against Prussia, which elided in the declaration of war on July 19. But from the moment he saw the country irretrievably committed to the contest, he accepted the situation and insisted upon immediately arming the national guard. In the session of the corps legislatif held the day after the surrender of Sedan, Favre denounced Napoleon and his regime as responsible for the national disasters, and the next day (Sept. 4) urged his deposition and that of his dynasty, and proposed the appointment of an executive committee for resisting to the last the invasion of French territory. The republic being proclaimed, he became vice president of the provisional government of national defence, and minister of foreign affairs. In his diplomatic circular he declared that France would not cede an inch of her soil nor a stone of her fortresses, and held Prussia responsible for the continuation of the war, since the ruler who had begun it was supplanted by a new government which had nothing to do with the opening of hostilities.

He met Bismarck at the castle of Ferrieres, Sept. 19, and undertook to pay any amount of indemnity, but rejected any cession of territory as humiliating and dishonorable. The conditions imposed by Bismarck in a subsequent interview for an armistice pending the elections were not accepted. A state paper issued by Favre on the subject of these negotiations led to a counter-statement from Bismarck, Sept. 27, and the war went on. In October, after Gambetta's departure for Tours, Favre became ad interim minister of the interior, and attempted to put down the seditious movements in the besieged capital. On Oct. 31 he shared the captivity of Gen. Trochu in the invasion of the hotel do ville. After the conclusion of a three weeks' truce with the Germans on Jan. 28, he insisted upon respecting it, and Gambetta's con-trary decrees were declared null and void. Favre continued to be minister of foreign affairs after the election of Thiers as provisional president in February, 1871, and he went to Frankfort with the minister of finance, Pouyer-Quertier, to sign with Bismarck the definitive treaty of peace (May 10). He resigned his post at the end of July, the ostensible cause being his disagreement with Thiers and the majority of the assembly in regard to the petitions in favor of the restoration of the temporal power of the pope; but the increasing influence of the conservative party had rendered his position untenable for some time, although his personal relations with Thiers never ceased to be cordial.

His reputed wife had died June 12, 1870; and one Laluye having asserted that she had been only his mistress, Favre prosecuted him and others for defamation, and though Laluye was fined and imprisoned for one year, the mortifying publicity given to the affair confirmed him in his desire to withdraw from politics for a time, and devote himself exclusively to the law. He has published Home et la republique francahe (Paris, 1871), and Le gouvernement du 4 sep-temhre (2 vols., 1871-'2), which have been trans-lated into English.