A late 19th century German composition French President Grévy container, the standing figure in black suit holding one hand to his coat, the other holding a scroll with paper label ‘Grévy President de la Republique’ and removable top hat for holding sweets or possibly a cigar? —7in. (18cm.) high Judith Paul Grévy (15 August 1807 – 9 September 1891), known as Jules Grévy was a French lawyer and politician who served as President of France from 1879 to 1887. He was a leader of the Moderate Republicans, and given that his predecessors were monarchists who tried without success to restore the French monarchy, Grévy is considered the first real republican president of France.