Jean-François Mocquard
(1791-1864)

The dramatic author Jean-François-Constant Mocquard was also Chef de cabinet and secrétaire particulier de l'Empereur [the Emperor's private secretary].

Born in Bordeaux, Mocquard was originally a successful lawyer, renowned for his eloquence, but 'une maladie de larynx' forced him to quit the bar. Accepting his affliction with resignation, he retired to the Pyrenees, where he occupied himself with literary works.

A life-long supporter of the Empire, in 1817 he had been introduced to Queen Hortense and her son, and over the years, renewed visits made during the bar holidays had blossomed into friendship. The model of fidelity, during Louis-Napoléon's imprisonment, Mocquard made frequent visits to Ham. His loyalty was rewarded; when the Prince-President came to power he was named secretary to the President of the Republic, a post he kept when the President became an Emperor.

A man of prodigious energy, the high position he occupied did not keep him from pursuing his literary career. His successful dramas include: La Fausse adultère; les Fiancés d'Albano; and La Tireuse des cartes. He also published a translation of Tacitus.

His tomb is in Père La Chaise Cemetery in Paris.