CHEVALIER (Michel). - Lot 66

CHEVALIER (Michel). Born in Limoges in 1806—died in 1876. French economist and politician, a proponent of Saint-Simonism. Professor of political economy at the Collège de France. Autograph letter signed “Michel Chevalier,” addressed to Amédée Girod de l’Ain. No place, June 11, 1844. 2 pages (1/3 in-4). A letter of administrative and political interest in which Michel Chevalier outlines to his correspondent a proposal submitted to the Council of State concerning the territorial reorganization of a canton in the department of Sarthe. In it, he advocates for moving the county seat from Saint-Pater to Pilleau—a reform long demanded “unanimously” by the population but hindered by the inertia of a high-level bureaucracy reluctant to change. Chevalier thus highlights the disconnect between local aspirations and bureaucratic resistance, against the backdrop of administrative modernization under the July Monarchy. A significant testament to Chevalier’s involvement in public affairs and the debates surrounding territorial planning in the 19th century. Autograph signature.