Albert de Mun

Adrien Albert Marie, Comte de Mun (French pronunciation: [adʁjɛ̃ albɛʁ maʁi kɔ̃t də mœ̃], 28 February 1841 – 6 October 1914), was a French political figure, nobleman, journalist, and social reformer of the nineteenth century. Born into a noble family de Mun joined the French army at a young age serving during the French conquest of Algeria, the Franco-Prussian War and the suppression of the Paris Commune. A devout Catholic, de Mun became interested in Catholic social teaching while he was a prisoner of war in Germany. After this experience, de Mun dedicated himself to advancing the Church's teaching in French society and supporting the working class. De Mun's created a Catholic Workmen's association and later was elected to Chamber of Deputies. In the chamber de Mun was regarded as one its finest orators defending the Church, the army, and the lower classes. As an advocate of social Catholicism de Mun was initially a Legitimist, before supporting the Third Republic following Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes. De Mun was a key figure in the creation of France's modern labor laws during the Third Republic.