Alfred Naquet

Born in Carpentras, France, in 1834, Alfred Naquet trained as a chemist and became known early on for scientific work as well as strong republican views. Under the Second Empire, his political activism brought him legal trouble and periods of exile, but he continued writing, teaching, and building a public reputation.

Naquet later served in national politics during the French Third Republic, sitting in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. He is best remembered for the law commonly linked to his name, passed in 1884, which restored divorce in France after it had been banned for decades.

His career combined laboratory science, journalism, and reform politics, making him an unusual public figure even for his time. He died in 1916, but his name remains closely tied to the long debate over marriage, civil rights, and modern secular law in France.