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(1838–82), French politician particularly noted for consolidating the new third republic . The son of a Genoese grocer, Gambetta trained as a lawyer before entering parliament in 1869 as deputy for Marseille. Fiercely critical of napoleon iii , he had a combative image that was enhanced by his beefy appearance, glass eye, and love of beer. With the fall of the Second Empire, Gambetta was one of those members of the Government of National Defense who declared a republic on September 4, 1870. As minister of the interior, he escaped the Prussian siege of Paris by hot-air balloon. He hoped to rally an army of national defense so as to relieve the capital, yet this was always going to be an uphill task. A devoted nationalist, he recoiled at the armistice that concluded the franco-prussian war , and especially at the loss of alsace-lorraine . Though he resigned his post in protest, Gambetta remained committed to the success of the new regime. He stood successfully for parliament in the 1871 elections, and later that year founded a newspaper, La République française . No friend of thiers , he nonetheless reconciled his differences with this veteran politician after macmahon's presidential election of 1873 seemed to be enhancing the prospects of royalist restoration. In 1875 Gambetta naturally campaigned throughout the provinces in favor of the republican constitution. On May 4, ... log in or subscribe to read full text