Gouttes, Jean Louis

Gouttes, Jean Louis, a French Roman Catholic priest and political economist, was born at Tulle in 1740. He first entered the army, and soon after the Church. He was for a time curate of a place near Bordeaux, then of Argilliers (Languedoc), where he remained until the beginning of the French Revolution. He had acquired great influence over the clergy of the diocese of Beziers, and was in 1789 sent as their representative to the States General. Here, on October 3, 1789, he advocated the abolition of the usury laws. He also seconded the motion of Talleyrand-Perigord, bishop of Autun, proposing the sale of the property of the clergy. In February 1791, he succeeded Talleyrand as bishop of Autun. But afterwards, opposing the excesses of the Republican party, he was accused of reactionary sympathies, arrested, judged, condemned, and executed, all in one day, March 26, 1794. He wrote Theorie de l'interet de l'argent, etc. (Paris, 1780, 12mo; 2d edit., with a Defense, etc., 1782): — Projet de Reforme, ou reflexions soumises a l'Asssemblee nationale (1790, 8vo): — Discours sur la vente des biens du clerge (April 12, 790, 8vo): — Expose des Principes de la Constitution civile du Clerge, par les eveques deputes a l'Assemblie nationale (1790, 8vo); this latter work is under a collective name, but Gouttes was its principal author. See Moniteur universel (1789, 1790); Qudrard, La France litteraire; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 21:470. (J.N.P.)