Jules Jules Francois Suisse-Simox (Simon), a French statesman, born in Lorient, Dec. 31, 1814. After teaching in various places, he lectured in 1838 at the normal school in Paris. In 1839 he succeeded Victor Cousin as professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne, from which post he was removed in 1851 on account of his opposition to the coup d'etat. In 1848 he entered the constituent assembly, which early in 1849 elected him to the council of state; but not being confirmed by the legislative assembly, he retired in 1850. In 1855 and subsequently he lectured in Belgium on philosophy. He was elected to the legislative body in 1863, and reelected in 1869 in two departments. He advocated popular education, free trade, the abolition of capital punishment, and the interests of the working classes; and in 1870 he opposed the plebiscitum in favor of Louis Napoleon and the declaration of war against Prussia. After the establishment of the republic (Sept. 4), he became a member of the government for the national defence, as minister of education, religion, and fine arts, and instituted many reforms, the most prominent of which was the obligatory school law. After the capitulation of Paris he went to Bordeaux to put an end to Gambetta's arbitrary proceedings.

On Feb. 19, 1871, he became minister of education and religion under Thiers, with whom he retired, May 24, 1873. He retained his seat in the national assembly, and • in 1875 received from the government a pension of 6,000 francs. His works include Histoire de l'ecole d' Alexandrie (2 vols., 1844-5); Le devoir (1854; 6th ed., 1859); La religion naturelle (1856; 5th ed., 1859; English translation by I. W. Cole, London, 1857); La liberte de conscience (3d ed., 1859); La liberte (2 vols., 1859); L'Ecole (1864); Le travail (1866); La politique radicale (1868); Le libre-echange (1870); and Souvenirs du 4 Septembre (1874; new ed., 1875).