Théodore Tenaille-Saligny (22 February 1830 – 24 March 1889) was a French lawyer, civil servant and politician. He came from a prosperous family, was a convinced republican, but was a strong opponent of the Paris Commune. During the French Third Republic he served several times as a departmental prefect. He made a number of attempts in national elections before finally becoming Senator for Nièvre from 1879 to 1888. Early years (1830–1870) Étienne Philippe Théodore Tenaille-Saligny was born on 22 February 1830 in Clamecy, Nièvre. His parents were Jean-Baptiste Etienne Marie Tenaille de Saligny (1792–1872) and Aglaé Moret de Parzy (1804–1866). He studied at the Paris Faculty of Law, and was licensed in 1850. He travelled in Italy, Germany and Scandinavia. On 11 November 1850 he became a lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal. On 24 June 1856 in Paris he married Sidonie Arguiot (1837–1925). They had two daughters, Séverine (1860–1935) and Aglaë (1865–1950). He became a Freemason of the Grand Orient de France. He and his family later moved to the Château du parc Vauvert in Clamecy, former property of the Chabannes family. On 24 July 1856 Tenaille-Saligny became a lawyer at the Council of State and the Court of Cassation, holding office until 1870. He was a convinced Republican and was involved in the "procès des 13" (trial of the thirteen) in August 1864. From 5 June 1867 he contributed to the Impartial of Nièvre. On 24 May 1869 he ran for election for the 3rd district of Nièvre as an independent candidate for the Corps législatif. He was defeated by M. Lepelletier d'Aunay.(fr) In 1870 he resigned from the Court of Cassation. Prefect and candidate (1870–1879) After the fall of the Second French Empire and declaration of the French Third Republic on 4 September 1870 Tenaille-Saligny was named mayor of the 1st arrondissement of Paris by Léon Gambetta, and was confirmed in this post in November 1870. He was a follower of the political views of Adolphe Thiers, and ran on his platform for election for Nièvre for the National Assembly on 8 February 1871, but was defeated. On 26 February 1871 Tenaille-Saligny was named Prefect of Nièvre. During his administration there were many lawsuits against Republicans. He ordered the arrest of 18 citizens at Cosne, who were taken to the Loiret Assize Court on charges of conspiracy in favor of the Paris Commune and given sentences