Frédéric Bastiat

Here is a revised and improved memorial biography of Claude‑Frédéric Bastiat, based strictly on verifiable sources:

Claude‑Frédéric Bastiat (30 June 1801 – 24 December 1850) was born in Bayonne in southwestern France. The son of a merchant, he became an orphan at age nine and was raised by his grandfather and his aunt, Justine Bastiat (en.wikipedia.org). He received his early education under abbé Meilhan in Bayonne, then at the Collège de Saint‑Sever. Around 1815, his family enrolled him in the Benedictine boarding school at Sorèze, where he studied philosophy as well as English, Spanish, and Italian (en.wikipedia.org).

In 1825, upon the death of his grandfather, Bastiat inherited an estate in Mugron, where he managed agricultural pursuits and served as a justice of the peace and general councilor in the Landes (en.wikisource.org). His economic and political engagement began in earnest following the July Revolution of 1830, during which he published a pamphlet addressed to voters, criticizing taxation and advocating for liberal policies (en.wikipedia.org). He later gained national prominence with his 1844 article in the Journal des économistes defending Manchester-style liberalism, leading to correspondence with Richard Cobden and contributing to trade and protectionism debates (en.wikipedia.org).

Elected to the French National Assembly representing the Landes, Bastiat served during the Second Republic from April 1848 until his death in December 1850 (en.wikipedia.org). Within the Assembly, he was active on the Finance Committee, at times serving as its vice‑president, and was influential in economic and financial discussions (www2.assemblee-nationale.fr). His legislative positions spanned both progressive and conservative views, opposing the death penalty and military replacement, while advocating for economic freedom and the abolition of certain taxes (www2.assemblee-nationale.fr).

Bastiat introduced the well‑known parable of the "broken window" in his 1850 essay _That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Not Seen_ ("Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas"). This parable illustrates the fallacy that destruction stimulates economic benefit by showing the unseen opportunity cost of such damage (en.wikipedia.org).

Throughout his career, Bastiat remained a fervent advocate of free‑market principles and opponent of socialism, aligning with the classical liberal school and influencing later economic thought schools, including the Austrian tradition (en.wikipedia.org). Among his notable works are _Sophismes économiques_, _Cobden et la ligue_, _Harmonies économiques_, _Le Libre Échange_, and _The Law_, in which he argued that the state's role is to protect rights, especially property, not to enable "legal plunder" (treccani.it).

In the autumn of 1850, Bastiat, weakened by tuberculosis, traveled to Italy for health reasons. After stays in Pisa and Florence, he reached Rome, where he died on 24 December 1850 (en.wikipedia.org). He was buried in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome (en.wikipedia.org).

This revised memorial presents a respectful and accurate summary of Bastiat’s life and contributions, preserving only facts substantiated by reliable sources.