Morning daily newspaper published in Paris, once one of the great newspapers of France and of the world.
Founded in 1826 as a witty gossip sheet on the arts, by 1866 it was a well-written daily filled with political discourse. Though the paper's reputation faltered at times and it suspended publication during World War II, in the postwar years it became the voice of the French upper middle class, providing broad subject coverage while maintaining an independent editorial stance. In the 1960s and '70s the staff was rent by conflicts over its leadership. In 1975 the paper was bought by the conservative Robert Hersant, who ran it until his death in 1996. U.S. investment firm Carlyle Group owned a minority share in Le Figaro Group from 1999 to 2002, when full ownership passed to Socpresse.