Raphael Georges Lévy

He was a Senator of Seine from 1920 to 1927.

Raphael Georges Lévy studied at Lycée Louis-le-Grand. The recorded working language is French. The field of work recorded is economics, finance and political science. Places of work recorded in the authority are Paris. Employment is recorded with École Libre des Sciences Politiques. Positions recorded include Senator of La Seine and president. Distinctions recorded are Officer of the Legion of Honour, Concours général, Knight Officer of the Order of the Crown (Romania) and grand officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy.

• Name — Raphaël-Georges Lévy • Office — Senator of Seine • Term Start — 11 January 1920 • Term End — 8 January 1927 • Born — 24 February 1853 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Died — 8 December 1933 • Place of death — Paris, France • Occupation — Economist, politician

Raphaël-Georges Lévy was born on 24 February 1853 in Paris. He was Jewish. His parents were Benjamin Lévy and Eugénie Bamberger. His father was an inspector-general of public instruction. His mother Eugénie Bamberger (1828–1904), known as Jenny, was the daughter of August Bamberger and Amelie Bischoffsheim, of the Bischoffsheim family of bankers. His uncle, the banker Henri Bamberger, was co-founder of the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. He was related to Marcel Proust through his sister Marguerite (née Lévy, 1859–1926), wife of Daniel Mayer, the first cousin of Proust's mother. Raphaël-Georges Lévy grew up in an intellectual environment. He attended the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, graduating with first prize in mathematics and a prize of honour in rhetoric, which earned him the personal congratulations of Napoleon III. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 he obtained a degree in Law.

Lévy joined his uncle's Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas, where he was responsible for a number of foreign inquiries in which he showed his business acumen. He was interested in turn in South African gold mines, the Crédit Mobilier, the Franco-Chinese economic association and the Channel Tunnel. He left banking and taught at the Association des cours commerciaux, then the Ecole supérieure d'enseignement financier and finally at the Ecole libre des sciences politiques. He spent 30 years at this last school, where he became one of the most eminent professors. He became a municipal councilor for Deauville in 1900. On 4 January 1882 Lévy married Marguerite Augustine Halphen (1861–1929) in Paris. Their daughter was Suzanne Guillemette Ernesta Lévy (1884–1955). Lévy became president of various learned societies such as the Société de statistique. He was elected a member of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques in 1913.

With the outbreak of World War I (1914–18) Lévy remained in Paris and converted his town house into a military hospital, keeping two modest rooms for himself and his wife. From 1914 to 1919 this hospital treated soldiers at Lévy's expense. He was assisted at the hospital by Antoine-Louis Cornette, founder of the Scouts de France. On 9 February 1917 Le Figaro reported that by a large majority Levy had been elected president of the Societe d'Économie politique. The society had two presidents. Yves Guyot had replaced Paul Leroy-Beaulieu as the first president.

Lévy was elected Senator for the Seine department on 11 January 1920. He joined the Finance Committee, and for five years was rapporteur of the budget of the liberated regions. In 1923 he called for two years of military service. He supported liberal economic policies, and was opposed to laws preventing export of capital, against excessive taxes on securities which would threaten savings, and against obstacles to the wheat trade. He presented many reports, including reports on reminting silver coins, the Moroccan loan and the proposed borrowing by the city of Paris and department of the Seine. Due to declining health he did not seek reelection in 1927. He left office on 8 January 1927. Lévy was able to continue to attend the sessions of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques until 1930. In the last three year of his life he did not leave his Paris town house. This became a literary and artistic salon, where he was visited by the King of Belgium and the President of the Chinese Republic. Raphaël-Georges Lévy died on 8 December 1933 in Paris. He was an officer of the Order of the Crown (Romania), grand officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium), grand officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy, commander of the Order of Christ (Portugal).

Raphael Georges Lévy worked in economics, finance and political science. He was employed by École Libre des Sciences Politiques. Recorded positions include Senator of La Seine and president. He belonged to Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques and Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. He worked at Paris.