Calonne, Charles-Alexandre de

Calonne, Charles-Alexandre de

(born Jan. 20, 1734, Douai, France—died Oct. 29, 1802, Paris) French politician. He served as intendant of Metz (1768) and Lille (1774), and his financial genius led to his appointment as controller general of finance (1783). He soon discovered that major reforms were necessary to save France from bankruptcy. His efforts precipitated the governmental crisis that led to the French Revolution. After the Revolution began, he devoted himself to the cause of counterrevolution from his exile in England.