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Fillon, François Charles Amand

(Encyclopedia)Fillon, François Charles Amand fräNswäˈ shärl ämäNˈ fēyôNˈ [key], 1954–, French political leader, b. Le Mans. A conservative, he served as an assembly deputy (1981–2002, 2007–17) and ...

de Gaulle, Charles

(Encyclopedia)de Gaulle, Charles shärl də gōl [key], 1890–1970, French general and statesman, first president (1959–69) of the Fifth Republic. De Gaulle was reelected to a second seven-year term in 1965. A...

Ledru-Rollin, Alexandre Auguste

(Encyclopedia)Ledru-Rollin, Alexandre Auguste älĕksäNˈdrə ôgüstˈ lədrüˈ-rôlăNˈ [key], 1807–74, French politician. A lawyer, he first became known as a radical opponent to the accession (1830) of Lou...

Beauharnais, Alexandre, vicomte de

(Encyclopedia)Beauharnais, Alexandre, vicomte de älĕksäNˈdrə vēkôNtˈ də bōärnāˈ [key], 1760–94, French general, b. Martinique. He fought with the colonials in the American Revolution and, as a suppor...

Yersin, Alexandre Émile Jean

(Encyclopedia)Yersin, Alexandre Émile Jean älĕksäNˈdrə āmēlˈ zhän yĕrsăNˈ [key], 1863–1943, French bacteriologist, of Swiss descent. He studied with Pasteur and worked on diphtheria antitoxin with P....

d'Amboise, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)d'Amboise, Jacques zhäk dămbwäzˈ [key], 1934–2021, American dancer and choreographer, b. Dedham, ...

Danton, Georges Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Danton, Georges Jacques zhōrzh zhäk däNtôNˈ [key], 1759–94, French statesman, one of the leading figures of the French Revolution. A Parisian lawyer, he became a leader of the Cordeliers early ...

Cousteau, Jacques Yves

(Encyclopedia)Cousteau, Jacques Yves zhäk ēv ko͞ostōˈ [key], 1910–97, French oceanographer and naval officer. In 1943, with Émil Gagnan, he invented the self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba)...

David, Jacques-Louis

(Encyclopedia)David, Jacques-Louis zhäk-lwēˈ dävēdˈ [key], 1748–1825, French painter. David was the virtual art dictator of France for a generation. Extending beyond painting, his influence determined the c...

Chirac, Jacques René

(Encyclopedia)Chirac, Jacques René zhäk rənāˈ shēräkˈ [key], 1932–2019, French political leader, president of France (1995–2007), b. Paris. He attended the National School of Administration, joined the ...