FÉLIX FAURE
Faure, who was president of France from 1895 to 1899, is today best remembered for two things: his role in the infamous Dreyfus affair, and the unusual way that he died. On Feb. 16, 1899, Faure was alone in a drawing room in the Élysée Palace with his mistress, Marguerite Steinheil, when he suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. Steinheil, who described herself as the president's "psychological advisor" was a frequent visitor to the palace, where she would be ushered in through a side door by a private detective to avoid being seen.
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The exact circumstances of Faure's death are not completely clear. According to one historian's account, the two were found half-naked with Faure's hand clenched in Steinheil's hair. (Other historians say they probably weren't actually having sex at the time.)
Whatever the circumstances, Faure's critics in the left-wing press had a field day, inventing cheeky innuendos to describe the president's death. "Felix Faure passed away in good health, indeed from the excess of good health," wrote one paper. Steinheil acquired the nickname "La Pompe Funèbre," a phrase referring to funeral rites that can also mean "funereal fellatrix." Years later she was suspected (but never convicted) of killing her husband and stepmother, leading to her other nickname, the "red widow."
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