Joseph-Marie Piétri

Corsican Bonapartist who as Paris prefect of police harshly repressed republican demonstrations in the last years of the Second Empire

Born at Sartène in Corsica in 1820, he studied law in Paris and practised as an advocate at Sartène. An enthusiastic supporter of the February Revolution of 1848, he became sub-prefect of Argentan with the help of his brother Pierre-Marie Piétri, but soon turned to Louis-Napoléon. After serving as sub-prefect of Brest he was prefect of the Ariège, the Cher, the Hérault and the Nord, and on 21 February 1866 became prefect of police of Paris. He repressed unrest vigorously, surrounding 1,500 republicans gathered at Baudin's grave in Montmartre Cemetery in November 1867, and did not restrain the violence of his agents. Secretly made a senator in July 1870, he hastily left France on 4 September after Sedan and joined Napoleon III in exile. He later became one of the most active members of the Bonapartist committee and was senator for Corsica from 1879 to 1885.

Also known as: Joachim Piétri · Joachim Pietri · Émile Joseph Marie Piétri