Adrien Albert Marie de Mun

Adrien Albert Marie, Comte de Mun (, 28 February 1841 – 6 October 1914), was a French political figure, nobleman, journalist, and social reformer of the nineteenth century. Born into a noble family de Mun joined the French army at a young age serving during the French conquest of Algeria, the Franco-Prussian War and the suppression of the Paris Commune. A devout Catholic, de Mun became interested in Catholic Social Teaching while he was a prisoner of war in Germany.

After this experience de Mun dedicated himself to advancing the Church's teaching in French society and supporting the working class. De Mun's created a Catholic Workmen's association and later was elected to Chamber of Deputies. In the chamber de Mun was regarded as one its finest orators defending the Church, the army, and the lower classes.

As an advocate of social Catholicism de Mun was initially a Legitimist, before supporting the Third Republic following Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes. De Mun was a key figure in the creation of France's modern labor laws during the Third Republic.

Early years
Albert was born at Lumigny-Nesles-Ormeaux, Seine-et-Marne, son of the Marquis de Mun. He became a brother-in-law of the Duke of Ursel when his sister Antonine de Mun married him and left to live in Belgium. De Mun's great-grandfather was the philosopher Helvetius. His maternal grandfather was Auguste, comte de La Ferronays, foreign minister under Charles X.

He entered the French Army, saw service in Algeria (1862). In 1869 he received his lieutenant commission from Prince Imperial Louis-Napoléon. In 1870 he took part in the fighting around Metz (during the Franco-Prussian War). On the surrender of Metz, he was sent as a prisoner of war to Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), where he met René de La Tour du Pin. While in Germany he became aware of and inspired by work the social teachings of Bishop Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler. De Man and du Pin became determined to respond to the dilemmas of the working class upon their release from prison.

After the war he took part in the suppression of the Paris Commune serving on the staff of General Paul de Ladmirault. During the suppression de Mun was appalled by the violence of both forces, impressed by the fervor of the communards, and angered by the indifference of the upper classes to the problems of the working class. Testifying at a parliamentary investigation into the origins of the Commune the Count said:

"The evil from which our society suffers derives from two causes. On the one hand there is a profound hatred of the upper classes by the working class, and on the other a complete apathy among the bourgeoisie for the welfare of the workers and a complete lack of ability on their part to distinguish error from truth. Between the classes there is today a profound abyss that can be filled only by time and by a better moral education. I do not believe that force alone can bring about any amelioration."

The following year he and du Pin organized a Catholic Workers' club, under the name "L'Oeuvre des Cercles Catholiques d'Ouvriers" (Society of Catholic Worker Circles), at the request of Maurice Maignen (founder of the Brothers of St. Vincent de Paul). The clubs spread quickly throughout France. These "circles" or clubs brought together the wealthy and the workers from a given locale for prayer, socializing and lectures by members of the aristocracy.

Politics
A fervent Roman Catholic, Albert devoted himself to advocating Social Catholicism. His attacks on Third French Republic's social policy ultimately gave rise to a prohibition from the Minister of War. He thereupon resigned his commission (November 1875) and in the following February stood as Royalist and Catholic candidate for Pontivy. The influence of the Church was exerted to secure his election and, during the proceedings, he was awarded the Order of Saint Gregory the Great by Pope Pius IX. He won the next elections for the same constituency, but the result was declared invalid. De Mun was re-elected however in the following August and for many years was the most conspicuous leader of the anti-Republican party. "We form", he said on one occasion, "the irreconcilable Counter-Revolution".

He was also a resolute opponent of Socialism: "Socialism is logical Revolution and we are Counter-Revolution. There is nothing in common between us." Despite this stance Du Mon occasionally found common ground with the French Workers' Party who praised his 'integrity and idealism". In his inaugural parliamentary speech Paul Lafargue, Karl Marx's son in law, praised the Count for having "delivered the best socialist speech ever given in this chamber." Some anti-clerical leftists even suspected an alliance between the POF and the Social Catholic movement.

The social reform de Mun supported included:
 * Limiting the working week to 58 hours with all Sundays off
 * Banning night work for women
 * Four weeks of breaks for women after childbirth
 * Abolition of child labor
 * Old age pensions
 * Accident and Health insurance
 * Minimum wages for sweatshops
 * Joint arbitration councils
 * International agreements on labor legislation.

In 1883 the de Mun spoke in favor of the bill to legalize trade unions in France.

He was a prominent Anti-Dreyfusard as well as a committed antisemite who believed the Jews were plotting an international conspiracy and casually referred to them as youtres (French equivalent of "kikes").

Despite ideological and religious differences de Mun was good friends with Prime Minister Louis Barthou.

As far back as 1878, he had declared himself opposed to universal suffrage, a declaration that lost him his seat from 1879 to 1881. For much of his career de Mun was a committed Legitimist. The Legitmist pretender to the French throne,Henri, Count of Chambord, was godfather to one of the de Mun's children. He spoke strongly against the exile of the French princes (after the Count of Paris gave rise to suspicions that he was preparing to claim the throne), and it was chiefly through his influence that the support of the Royalist party was given to Georges Boulanger. But as a faithful Catholic, he obeyed the encyclical of 1892, Au milieu des sollicitudes, and declared his readiness to rally to a republican government, provided that it respected religion. In the following January, he received from Leo XIII a letter commending his actions and encouraging him in his social reforms. De Mun's embrace of the Republic led to a break with his old friend Édouard Drumont. In Durmont's newspaper La Libre Parole the count and Papal Nuncio Cardinal Domenico Ferrata were denounced liked common criminals.

He was defeated at the general election of that year, but in 1894 was elected in Finistère (Morlaix). In 1897, he succeeded Jules Simon as a member of the Académie française, owing to the quality and eloquence of his speeches which, with a few pamphlets, form the bulk of his published work. In Ma vocation sociale (1908) he wrote an explanation and justification of his career.

Later Years
In order to formed a united front against the anti-clericals between French Catholics de Mun and Jacques Piou formed the Popular Liberal Action party. Upon his death Edmond Rostand told his widow "Madam, the souls of the France crowd around your heart." Pope Benedict XV sent his condolences to the funeral.

Legacy
Prime Minister Louis Barthou said that the count was "the collaborator and even sometimes the precursor of all the great labor laws of the Republic." Charles De Gaulle was influenced by the Count's political views. American historian Barbara Tuchman called him a "sincere and honorable man of lofty ideals"