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Back to article: LOUIS VEUILLOT (1813–1883)

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VEUILLOT, LOUIS (1813–1883), French journalist and man of letters, was born of humble parents at Boynes (Loiret) on the 11th of October 1813. When Louis Veuillot was five years old his parents removed to Paris. After a very slight education he entered a lawyer's office, and was sent in 1830 to serve on a Rouen paper, and afterwards to Perigueux. He returned to Paris in 1837, and a year later visited Rome during Holy Week. There he embraced extravagant ultramontane sentiments, and was from that time an ardent champion of Catholicism. The results of his conversion appeared in Pelerinage en Suisse (1839), Rome at Lorette (1841) and other works, In 1843 he entered the staff of the Univers religieux. His violent methods of journalism had already provoked more than one duel, and for his polemics against the university of Paris in the Univers he was imprisoned for a short time. In 1848 he became editor of the paper, which was suppressed in 186o, but revived in 1867, when Veuillot recommenced his ultra-montane propaganda, which brought about a second suppression of his journal in 1874. When his paper was suppressed Veuillot occupied himself in writing violent pamphlets directed against the moderate Catholics, the Second Empire and the Italian government. His services to the papal see were fully recognized by Pius IX., on whom he wrote (1878) a monograph. He died on the 7th of March 1883.
Some of his scattered papers were collected in Melanges religieux, historiques et litteraires (12 vols., 1857–75), and his Correspondance (6 vols., 1883–85) has great political interest. His younger brother, Eugene Veuillot, published (1901–4) a comprehensive and valuable life, Louis Veuillot.