| Joseph Cabassol | |
| Birth Name: | 21 January 1859 |
| Birth Place: | Pourrières, France |
| Death Place: | Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Nationality: | French |
| Occupation: | Lawyer Politician |
| Spouse: | Gabrielle Rose |
| Children: | Jean Joseph Louis Marie Cabassol Simone Cabassol Gabriel Cabassol |
| Parents: | Joseph Philippe Cabassol Euphrosine Caroline Rose |
| Awards: | Legion of Honour - Knight |
Joseph Cabassol (1859 - 1928) was a French lawyer, politician, and banker. He served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1902 to 1908.
Joseph Marie Victor Cabassol was born on 21 January 1859 in Aix-en-Provence.[1] His father, Joseph Philippe Cabassol (1828-1855), was a banker who co-founded a small bank with Louis-Auguste Cézanne (1798–1886), the father of renowned painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), called the Cézanne and Cabassol Bank, in 1848, until it failed.[2] His mother was Euphrosine Caroline Rose (1833-1855).[1] He was educated in a Catholic school in Aix, and studied the Law at the University of Aix-en-Provence.[1] He received his Doctorate in Law in 1885.[1] He spoke both French and Provençal.[1]
He started his career as a lawyer in 1880.[1] He served as bâtonnier from 1903 to 1905.[1] He was elected as President of the Court of Appeals of Aix on 12 June 1917 and as its First President on 18 April 1927.[1] In 1919, he served as President of the Société des Amis des Arts, a Freemason order in Aix.[1] Later, he joined the Board of Directors of the local Caisse d'Épargne.[1]
He decided to embark upon a career in politics and joined the Republican Union. He was elected to the General Council of Aix-Sud from 1898 to 1916, serving as its president in 1914.[1] He served as the Mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 1902 to 1908.[1] Under his tenure, he opened the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle Aix-en-Provence, which had been conceived by Antoine Aude (1799-1870), when he served as Mayor in 1835.[1] (It was then located on the Boulevard du Roi René, and it is now housed within the, a listed hôtel particulier located at 5 rue Espariat.) Moreover, he rejected the proposed move of Aix-Marseille University to Marseille, making sure that it would remain in Aix.[1]
He received the Knighthood of the Legion of Honour for his public service.[1]
He wrote a book of poems, Solitude, and a play, La dernière marquise.[1] Additionally, he published articles in the Gazette du palais and the Répertoire encyclopédique.[3]
In 1886, he married Gabrielle Rose, an extended cousin.[1] They had three children:
Cabassol died on 25 May 1928 in Aix-en-Provence.[1] The Rue Joseph Cabassol in the Quartier Mazarin in Aix-en-Provence is named in his honour.[1] The Hôtel de Caumont, a listed hôtel particulier, is on this street.