The natural son of a Parisian rentier, Vitu began his career as a typographer-worker before becoming a journalist.

In 1867[4] he founded Le Journal des Finances [fr] (which he directed until his death in 1891[5]) and later created the newspaper L’Étendard from which he was lucky to be deposed in August 1868, before the sensational trial filed against the manager Jules Pic.

He also published a book on the popular jargon of the 15th century and another on Napoleon III whose style of moustache and goatee he adopted.

Auguste Vitu was in turn publisher, political and military historian, literary and theatre critic, novelist, author of finance textbooks.

[6] He collaborated with numerous Parisian newspapers and founded Le Bons sens d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand and L'Ami de l'ordre in Grenoble to local policy purposes.