Gaspard de Chabrol

Comte de Chabrol de Volvic

Gilbert Joseph Gaspard, comte de Chabrol de Volvic (25 September 1773, Riom – 30 April 1843, Paris) was a French official.

Biography

Graduating from the École Polytechnique with the class that had entered in 1794, Chabrol was designated ingénieur des ponts et chaussées (18 April 1796) but immediately was sent to Egypt.

He was named prefect of the Seine (and thus Prefect of Paris) by Napoleon in 1812, an office he held until 1833. He is to be credited with paving several of Paris's streets and boulevards, the creation of pavements (edged with volcanic stone from Volvic, boosting that town whose name he bore), and the gradual conversion of city lighting to gaslight. He also created and financed the école d'architecture et de sculpture de Volvic (now the École Départementale d'Architecture de Volvic).

Between 1820 and 1821 he created two adult education courses in Paris (precursor of today's 'Éducation populaire'), directed by Monsieur Delahaye.

He is commemorated in the rue de Chabrol, opened in 1822 between rue La Fayette and boulevard de Magenta, and to the cité de Chabrol which links cour de la Ferme-Saint-Lazare to rue de Chabrol.

He is credited with originating the phrase "Hundred Days" - les cent jours, in his speech welcoming the returning Louis XVIII.