Sadi Carnot (statesman)

Marie François Sadi Carnot (French: [maʁi fʁɑ̃swa sadi kaʁno]; 11 August 1837 – 25 June 1894) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894.

His presidency was marked by a series of poorly handled crises. General Boulanger's rapid rise and failed attempt to march on the Élysée in 1889 posed the first serious threat to the Republic during Carnot's term. Then came a series of ministerial crises, financial scandals, labour turmoil, anarchist violence, and finally Carnot's own assassination in 1894. The Panama scandals, involving bribes to parliamentarians, resulted in major financial losses and deeply embarrassed those involved. The extreme right-wing newspaper La Libre Parole, run by anti-Semitic publicist Édouard Drumont, escalated intolerance towards Third Republic politics.

Carnot presided over a few achievements. He was well received when he travelled around France, inaugurated the 1889 exhibition celebrating the French Revolution, and facilitated a diplomatic rapprochement with Russia. His term in office bolstered the power and influence of the presidency.