Albert Joly

Born in Versailles (Seine-et-Oise) on November 10, 1844, died in Versailles on December 2, 1880, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in his home town where he pleaded successfully. His real talent for speech was especially evident in the many cases he pleaded before the Versailles war councils for defendants compromised in the communist insurrection of 1871. His defense of Rossel, for which he was suspended for six months, and that of Mr. Henri Rochefort, had a great impact. As a Versailles town councillor (August 1870), he was sentenced to a fine in 1871 for having, in a letter made public, called Mr. Dufaure "Bismarck's ally".

He ran as a Republican candidate for the National Assembly three times, but failed in each of the by-elections held in the Seine-et-Oise department in 1873, 1874 and 1875. Each time he withdrew in favor of Republican candidates of a different hue than his own, Messrs. Calmon, Sénard and Valentin, who were successively elected.

Chosen finally, on February 20, 1876, as the sole Republican candidate in the 1st district of Versailles, he was elected deputy by 9,433 votes (17,058 voters, 21,480 registered), against 4,079 votes for Mr. Aubry-Vitet and 3,428 for Mr. Basset de Belavalle, Conservative candidates.

He had said in his profession of faith :

"The policy that I support is not the policy of hatred and division, it is the policy of abnegation and republican concord, it is the policy of hospitality for all people of good will. »

Mr. Albert Joly went to sit on the left, in the Republican Union group, voted :

- for amnesty,

- for the abolition of mixed juries,

- to increase the budget for popular education,

- against the treatment of military chaplains, etc..,

He made several speeches, including one calling for the abolition of seminar scholarships.

On 18 May 1877, as an opponent of the government of Seize-Mai, he joined the left-wing protest and, on 19 June, he voted on the agenda of defiance against the ministry of Broglie-Fourtou.

After the dissolution of the House, Mr. A. Joly represented himself in front of his voters of Versailles who re-elected him deputy, on October 14, 1877, by 11,046 votes (18,251 voters, 21,364 registered), against 7,061 votes to Mr. Duverdy, official Bonapartist candidate.

In the new House, he voted for the appointment of an electoral commission of inquiry, for the agenda of no-confidence against the cabinet of Rochebouët, supported the various left-wing ministries that succeeded one another in power, voted for article 7 of the law on higher education, etc., took part in several more deliberations, and died in December 1880.

On January 23, 1881, he was replaced by Mr. Journault.