30 mars 1863
21 novembre 1944
Caillaux, Joseph (1863-1944)
Joseph Caillaux (1863-1944) naît au Mans dans une famille royaliste. Son père Eugène, parlementaire, a été ministre des finances de Mac-Mahon en 1877. Après des études secondaires au lycée Fontanes à Paris (actuel lycée Condorcet), il obtient une licence de droit à la faculté de Paris. Il devient ensuite professeur à l’École libre des sciences politiques mais prépare en parallèle le concours de l’inspection des finances. Admis second en 1888, il commence sa carrière comme adjoint à l’inspection générale des finances. Il y restera pendant dix ans.
Dès 1896, il se lance en politique dans le camp des Républicains. Après un premier échec aux municipales et cantonales de 1896 à Yvré-l’Évêque, il est élu député de la Sarthe en 1898, et conserve ce mandat jusqu’en 1919. Il fait partie à l’Assemblée nationale du groupe Alliance républicaine démocratique, aile gauche des républicains modérés favorable à une alliance avec le parti radical-socialiste : Émile Loubet, Armand Fallières, Louis Barthou ou encore Raymond Poincaré en sont les membres les plus éminents. Spécialiste des questions financières, il est membre des commissions des crédits, des colonies et de la législation fiscale. Son positionnement en faveur de Dreyfus le rapproche de la gauche et, lorsque Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau crée un gouvernement d’union républicaine en 1899 pour contrer la montée des extrémismes nés de l’Affaire, Caillaux devient son ministre des finances. En réduisant les dépenses de l’État et en augmentant les recettes – notamment en taxant les boisons et les sucres et en augmentant les droits de succession –, il parvient à présenter des budgets en excédant durant ses trois années de mandats. En revanche, il renonce à son projet d’impôt progressif sur le revenu, estimant que les esprits ne sont pas encore mûrs.
La victoire de la gauche aux élections législatives de 1902 entraîne la chute du gouvernement Waldeck-Rousseau. Caillaux, réélu, se positionne durant cette mandature, contre la politique trop anti-cléricale d’Émile Combes. Il soutient néanmoins la loi de séparations des Églises et de l’État de 1905.
Après les législatives de 1906, il devient brièvement vice-président de la Chambre, avant de renoncer à ce poste pour devenir une nouvelle fois ministre des finances dans le gouvernement Clemenceau. Il présente alors son projet de création d’un impôt sur le revenu destiné à remplacer les quatre anciennes contributions directes mises en place après 1789 (contribution foncière, contribution personnelle mobilière, patente et impôt sur les portes et fenêtres). Malgré le soutien de Clemenceau, le projet est rejeté en raison de l’hostilité du Sénat et Joseph Caillaux se fait de nombreux ennemis politiques à droite. L’idée d’un impôt sur le revenu continue néanmoins à faire son chemin dans l’opinion publique, ce qui contribuera à son adoption définitive en 1914.
Le gouvernement Clemenceau chute en 1909 et est remplacé par le gouvernement d’Aristide Briand. Caillaux devient alors président du conseil d’administration des Crédits fonciers égyptiens et argentins, ce qui le conduit à entreprendre de nombreux voyages à l’étranger et notamment au Proche-Orient (Syrie, Liban, Palestine, Égypte). Ce rapprochement avec le monde des affaires lui vaut d’être attaqué, en 1911, par Jean Jaurès, qui l’accuse d’avoir été trop proche du banquier Henri Rochette, à l’origine, trois ans plus tôt, d’un krak financier retentissant qui causa la ruine de milliers de petits actionnaires. La campagne de presse orchestrée parLe Figaroen 1914 sur le sujet de la corruption de Caillaux débouche sur l’assassinat de son directeur, Gaston Calmette, abattu à bout portant par Henriette Caillaux.
Revenu en France en 1911, Caillaux reprend sa place à la Chambre, où il devient vice-président de la commission des finances. Il se rapproche également des radicaux et, lorsque Ernest Monis forme un gouvernement en mars 1911, Caillaux devient son ministre des Finances. À sa chute en juin de la même année, Armand Fallières demande à Caillaux de devenir président du Conseil, fonction qu’il cumule avec le ministère de l’Intérieur et des Cultes. Mais son attitude conciliante envers l’Allemagne lors du « coup d’Agadir » lui attire des haines tenaces, dont celle de Clemenceau. Ayant eu l’imprudence de nier des négociations secrètes, pourtant bien réelles, avec l’ennemi, son gouvernement est renversé le 11 janvier 1912.
Il retrouve en décembre 1913 le ministère des Finances dans le gouvernement Doumergue, mais est obligé de démissionner après l’assassinat de Gaston Calmette.
Hostile à la guerre, il est accusé de trahison par Clemenceau en 1917. Caillaux avait en effet été proche, dès 1907, de l’aventurier Paul Bolo, dit Bolo Pacha, jugé et condamné à mort en 1918 pour avoir financé des journaux, dontLe Bonnet Rouge, pour qu’ils publient des articles en faveur de la paix et diffusent le défaitisme dans l’opinion publique. Or, Caillaux avait également financéLe Bonnet Rougelors du procès de son épouse pour qu’il publie des articles qui lui soient favorables. Son immunité parlementaire est donc levée, à la demande des nationalistes et des bellicistes en décembre 1917 et il est arrêté en janvier 1918. Jugé par la Haute Cour de justice, il est condamné en 1920 à trois ans de prison pour « correspondance avec l’ennemi ». Il est amnistié en 1925 à la faveur de la victoire du cartel des gauches en 1924 ; il reprend alors immédiatement sa carrière politique.
Du 17 avril 1925 au 29 octobre 1925, il est de nouveau ministre des Finances dans le gouvernement Painlevé. Appelé pour restaurer une situation financière critique, il refuse, contre son propre camp, d’instaurer un impôt sur le capital. Il est, en revanche, soutenu par la droite dans ses efforts pour redresser le budget.
Le 23 juin 1926, il accepte de nouveau le portefeuille des finances dans le gouvernement Aristide Briand, avec le titre de vice-président du Conseil. Lorsqu'il demande à la Chambre l'autorisation de légiférer par décrets délibérés en conseil des ministres pour assainir les finances, l'opposition de la gauche entraîne la chute du ministère, le 19 juillet 1926.
En juillet 1925, il est élu sénateur et le restera jusqu’en 1940. Président de la Commission des finances de 1933 à 1940, ses avis sont très écoutés.
Le 18 juillet 1940, il vote les pleins pouvoirs à Pétain et se retire alors dans sa propriété de Mamers pour se consacrer à ses mémoires, publiés en 1942-1943. Il décède le 21 novembre 1944.
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