Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Ségur, Louis Philippe, Count de

SÉGUR, Louis Philippe, Count de, French historian, b. in Paris, 10 Dec., 1753; d. there. 27 Aug., 1830. He was the eldest son of the field-marshal Louis de Ségur, studied in the school of artillery at Strasburg, and obtained in 1769 the commission of lieutenant of cavalry. He was promoted captain in 1771, and lieutenant-colonel of the regiment Orleans in 1770. He became an advocate of the cause of the American colonists at court, and as early as 1777 asked from the king permission to serve in this country as a volunteer, but was reprimanded. He was afterward appointed colonel of the regiment Soissonnois," and embarked on 7 April, 1781, in the frigate "La Gloire." He served during the remainder of the war, and after the withdrawal of the French forces in 1782 obtained leave to remain, and visited the southern states, Mexico. Peru. and Santo Domingo, where he owned a large estate. A few years later in his Melanges" he published the journal of his trav- els, which attracted much attention. He was min- ister tn Russia in 1784 '9, and to Berlin in 1792. Ruined by the revolution, he supported his family during the following years almost exclusively >> his pen. He was deputy to the corps legislatif in 1801, elected in 1803 a member of the French acad- emy, and afterward became a councillor of state, grand master of the ceremonies, count of the em- pire in 1810, and a senator, 5 April, 1814. After the restoration of the Bourbons he became a peer of France, 4 June, 1814, and always sided with the liberals. His works include " Pensees politiques " (Paris, 1795); "Melanges" (1796); "Tableau his- torique et politique de 1'Europe, 1780-1796" (3 vols., 1801); "Histoire de Frederic Guillaume II." (1801); "Politique de tous les cabinets de 1'Eu- rope pendant les regnes de Louis XV. et Louis XVI." (3 vols., 1801-'22) ; " Galerie morale et poli- tique " (3 vols., 1817-'24) ; " Histoire de France " (9 vols., 1824-'30) ; and " Memoires ou souvenirs et anecdotes " (3 vols., 1824). His complete works were published in 1824 (33 vols.).