Élie Reclus

Élie Reclus (French: [ʁəkly]; July 16, 1827 – February 11, 1904) was a French ethnographer and anarchist.

Biography

Élie Reclus was the oldest child among five brothers and six sisters. His father was Jacques Reclus, a Protestant minister in Montcaret, and his mother was Marguerite Zéline Trigant, a teacher who founded a school at Orthez. His middle three brothers, including the well known anarchist Élisée Reclus, all became geographers.

Élie and his brother Élisée were close friends with the botanist Édouard Grimard, living together while they studied theology at Montauban. Élisée and Élie were expelled from the school at Montauban for their socialist politics, and after taking unauthorised leave to walk to the Mediterranean with Édouard.

On May 30th in 1855, Élie married Noémie (1825-1905), his first cousin, and settled in Ternes. Élie then took a job working in the litigation office of a bank.

In 1866 a feminist group called the Société pour la Revendication du Droit des Femmes began to meet at the house of André Léo. Members included Paule Minck, Louise Michel, Eliska Vincent, Élie Reclus and his wife Noémie, Mme Jules Simon and Caroline de Barrau. Maria Deraismes also participated. Because of the broad range of opinions, the group decided to focus on the subject of improving girls' education.

Élie Reclus served as director of the Bibliotheque National in Paris during the Commune de Paris. Condemned par contumace, he went to the United States, then to England, until the French government amnesty in March 1879.