Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire, JULES, French savant and statesman, was born at Paris on the 19th of August 1805. On the completion of his studies he filled for some time a subordinate office under the minister of finance, while actively contributing as a liberal publicist to such newspapers as the Globe and the Nation. About the close of 1833 he turned from political strife to quieter studies, and in 1838 was appointed to the chair of Greek and Roman Philosophy in the Collège de France. In 1839 he became a member of the Academy. The revolution of February 1848 brought him once more into the political arena. He entered the Assembly, and became one of the leaders of the moderate party. At the coup d'état he was one of the patriots who were arrested and flung into prison. On his release he resigned his chair, as he could not take the oath of allegiance to Napoleon III., and returned to his studies, especially Sanskrit and ancient Indian philosophy. Elected in 1871 to the Assembly at Bordeaux, he gave constant support to Thiers. In 1876 he was elected a life-senator by the Assembly; and he held the portfolio of foreign affairs in Ferry's ministry, 1880-81.
His most important work is his French translation of Aristotle, various parts of which appeared from 1837 to 1883. Next to this are his contributions to western knowledge of Indian philosophy in the works, Sur les Védas (1854), Du Bouddhisme (1855), Le Bouddha et sa Religion (1859), and in numerous contributions to the Mémoires of the Academy and the Journal des Savants. He translated the Iliad in verse (1869), and has written on the Alexandrian school, on Mohammed, on British India (1887), on science and religion (1889), and on Lord Bacon (1890); and at his death, 25th November 1895, was finishing a translation of Plato.