Philippe Séguin, the first President of the Cour des Comptes, passed away after a heart attack during the night of the 6/7 January, 2010. He was 66. The former Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, he served as President of the Assemblée nationale between 1993 and 1997 and was President of the French political party, Rassemblement pour la République, between 1997 and 1999. It was during his mandate as deputy-mayor of the town of Epinal that he demonstrated his interest for Napoleonic history, and more notably the Second Empire, in publishing the highly acclaimed Louis Napoléon le Grand (Editions Grasset), which went on to win the Fondation Napoléon's History Grand Prix for 1990. Whilst serving as President of the Assemblée nationale, he also published his work on the presidents of the lower house since its inception (240 dans un fauteuil). In 2007, he was behind the particularly grand bicentenary commemorations of the Cour des Comptes, which included in particular a national conference entitled “La Cour, un passé, un destin”, held at the Musée du Quai Branly, and a reconstruction, which was attended by the President of the Republic, of the first session of the Cour which took place on 5 November, 1807.
The Fondation Napoléon extends its sincere condolences to M. Séguin's family, friends and colleagues.