council of state (in ordinary service from 27 fructidor year 10 to 1810). Pelet was also put in charge of the third arrondissement of the imperial general police in 1805 and then, during the general reorganisation of the police department, he was detached to head up the second division of the imperial general police, embracing 42 departments in the Midi from 1806 to 1813. He held these roles until 1814 and remained loyal to Napoleon's police chief Joseph Fouché, though he and Fouché disliked each other, with Pelet mistrusting him for his intrigues and use of torture. It was Pelet who discovered the Malet conspiracy's ramifications in southern France in 1812. In 1801 he bought the château du Solier (Lasalle) from the family of Cadolle de Voguë. He also became a conseiller d'Etat in ordinary service from 1810 to 1814 and was also attached to the commission for petitions in 1808 and 1809. He was made commissioner extraordinary in the 9th military division (Montpellier) on 26 December 1813. He was made a knight (9 vendemiaire year 12) then a commander (25 prairial year 12) of the Légion d'honneur, then a comte de l'Empire (18 May 1808) and a commander of the Ordre de la Réunion in 1813. Bourbon Restoration and July Monarchy At the First Restoration he retired from office and, though he was made interim minister of police from 23 June to 9 July 1815 during the Hundred Days, he retired again after Waterloo. In return, on 5 March 1819, Louis XVIII made him a peer of France with an annual pension of 4,000 francs. Pelet took an oath in preparation for becoming a member of the upper chamber during the July Monarchy, but ill health meant that he could only attend very occasionally. He died aged 83 and was buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Coat of arms D'azur à trois bandes d'or, au lion d'argent lampassé de même, rampant sur la bande inférieure, bordure de sinople ; franc-quartier de comte conseiller d'Etat. References External links facsimiles of works by Pelet at the Bibliothèque nationale de France PELET Jean dit Pelet de la Lozère (1759–1842) on www.appl-lachaise.net ; Comte Pelet de la Lozère, Une famille de noblesse d'Empire on amilo.pagesperso-orange.fr ; Pelet de la Lozère, Jean Pelet dit, (1759–1852) on www.napoleonica.org 1759 births 1842 deaths People from Gard Counts of the First French Empire French Calvinist and Reformed