BAROCHE, Pierre-Jules - Lot 4

BAROCHE, Pierre-Jules Pierre-Jules Baroche Important handwritten memoir concerning the "Jecker affair" and the controversial conditions of a naturalization granted under the Second Empire. S.d. [ca. 1862-1866]. 2 handwritten folio pages. Very interesting political and administrative document on the affair of Swiss banker Jean-Baptiste Jecker, a famous creditor of the Mexican government and a figure linked to the Mexican expedition under Napoleon III. The memoir traces the various applications for naturalization of Jecker, born in Porrentruy, which were initially rejected for lack of residence in France: "Residence in France being an essential condition for naturalization, the application was rejected..." The text goes on to describe the political interventions on the banker's behalf, notably with the Garde des Sceaux, before the direct intervention of Napoleon III: "I desire for reasons of justice and politics that Mr. Jecker be naturalized. - Napoléon." The document underlines the exceptional - and hasty - nature of the procedure: "The Minister of Justice [...] had the decree prepared as a matter of urgency, which was signed on March 26, 1862." A fascinating account of the Second Empire's networks of influence, the relationship between finance and political power, and the diplomatic context surrounding the French expedition to Mexico. Beautiful, legible handwriting. A historical document of real interest for the political and judicial history of the 19th century.