Étienne Arago

Étienne Vincent Arago (9 February 1802 – 7 March 1892) was a French writer and politician, and co-founder (with Maurice Alhoy) of the newspaper Le Figaro.

He pursued literary interests and was an acquaintance of Honoré de Balzac (they co-wrote an unsuccessful novel).

In 1829, he became director of the Théâtre du Vaudeville; it closed in 1838, leaving him with considerable debts.

[1] He was active in political movements and opposed Napoleon III, and was in exile in Belgium from 1849 to 1859.

Arago's brothers included François (astronomer, physicist, politician); Jean, who emigrated to North America and became a general in the Mexican army; and Jacques Étienne Victor, who took part in Louis de Freycinet's exploring voyage in the ship Uranie from 1817 to 1821, and on his return to France devoted himself to his journalism and the drama.