Fouquet, Nicolas

born 1615, Paris, France

died March 23, 1680, Pignerol

French finance minister (1653–61) in the early years of the reign of Louis XIV.

He was a wealthy supporter of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin and of the royal government during the turmoil of the Fronde (1648–53), when he lent large sums to the treasury. In 1653 he was appointed superintendent of finance. After Mazarin's death (1661) Jean-Baptiste Colbert sought to succeed Fouquet by destroying his reputation with the king. Fouquet was arrested for embezzlement, while Colbert suppressed papers that would have absolved him. Though public opinion was in his favour, he was sentenced in 1664 to imprisonment in the fortress of Pignerol, where he died.

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▪ French minister

Fouquet also spelled  Foucquet  

born 1615, Paris

died March 23, 1680, Pignerol, Fr.

 French finance minister in the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, the last surintendant (as opposed to contrôleur général), whose career ended with his conviction for embezzlement.

      Born the son of a wealthy shipowner and royal administrator, Fouquet was a supporter of the powerful Cardinal Mazarin and of the royal government during the turmoil of the Fronde (1648–53). He purchased the post of procureur général to the Parlement of Paris in 1650, and in 1653 he was appointed surintendant des finances. To aid Mazarin, who in return upheld him, Fouquet lent considerable sums to the treasury, making himself, in effect, banker to the King; his numerous financial operations, which he conducted in an irregular way (though not contrary to the usage of the times), made him extremely rich.

      After Mazarin's death (March 1661), Jean-Baptiste Colbert (Colbert, Jean-Baptiste), Mazarin's personal intendant and closest confidant, sought to succeed Fouquet as finance minister by destroying his reputation with the King. Colbert revealed irregularities in Fouquet's accounts and denounced the financial operations by which he had enriched himself. Fouquet was arrested in September 1661, and his trial, which lasted three years, excited great public interest. Colbert suppressed the papers that would have proved Mazarin's personal responsibility for many of the financial transactions in question, but Fouquet defended himself cleverly, and public opinion turned in his favour. On Dec. 20, 1664, he was condemned to banishment, but Louis XIV “commuted” the sentence to life imprisonment. Fouquet was taken to the fortress of Pignerol, where he died just before a measure of clemency could be issued.

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