Alfred Dreyfus was on born October 9, 1859 in Mulhouse, France. The son of a wealthy Jewish manufacturer, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army. Accused of selling military secrets, Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was convicted through poor evidence and antisemitism. French writers came to his defense and he was eventually vindicated after many years. He died in 1935.
Dreyfus was the son of a wealthy Jewish textile manufacturer. In 1882 he entered the cole Polytechnique and decided on a military career. By 1889 he had risen to the rank of captain. Dreyfus was assigned to the War Ministry when, in 1894, he was accused of selling military secrets to the German military attaché. He was arrested on October 15, and on December 22 he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. He entered the infamous penal colony of Devils Island, off the coast of French Guiana, on April 13, 1895.
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