Necker, Jacques, << NEHK uhr or neh KEHR, zhahk >> (1732-1804), was a statesman in France under King Louis XVI. When he was appointed French finance minister in 1777, the nation had an unbalanced treasury. The situation grew worse after France joined the American Revolutionary War. Necker, a noted banker, borrowed heavily, and kept things going without increasing taxes. This only postponed trouble. He angered court circles by publishing, for the first time, a statement showing how taxes were spent and how much money went to court favorites. He resigned in 1781.
Necker was recalled in 1788, after less able successors had brought France close to bankruptcy. He proved too cautious and indecisive to provide the leadership that might have prevented the French Revolution. On July 11, 1789, the king suddenly dismissed Necker, but was forced to take him back, by public demand. Necker again resigned in 1790. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His daughter, Madame de Stael, was a prominent French writer and opponent of Napoleon I. See also Stael, Madame de .
