1876 in France

Incumbents

• President: Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta
• President of the Council of Ministers:
• * until 23 February: Louis Buffet
• * 23 February-12 December: Jules Armand Dufaure
• * starting 12 December: Jules Simon

  Events

• 20 February – Legislative Election held.
• 5 March – Legislative Election was held.

  Births

• 4 March – Léon-Paul Fargue, poet and essayist
• 5 March – Édouard Belin, photographic inventor
• 4 April – Maurice de Vlaminck, painter, printmaker and author
• 22 April – Pierre Albert-Birot, author
• 29 April – Paul Antoine Aristide Montel, mathematician
• 27 May – René Guyon, jurist
• 22 June – Madeleine Vionnet, fashion designer
• 24 June – Henri Marchal, archaeologist
• 12 July – Max Jacob, poet, painter, writer, and critic
• 16 October – Gaston Thubé, sailor and Olympic gold medallist
• 19 November – Louis de Fleurac, athlete and Olympic medallist

  Deaths

January to June

• 26 January – Frédérick Lemaître, actor and playwright
• 13 February – Gabriel Andral, pathologist
• 18 February – Adolphe-Théodore Brongniart, botanist
• 5 March – Marie d'Agoult, author, pen name Daniel Stern
• 9 March – Louise Colet, poet
• 24 May – Alphonse de Cailleux, painter and arts administrator
• 30 April – Antoine Jérôme Balard, chemist and discoverer of bromine
• 30 April – Jean-Rémy Bessieux, founder of Roman Catholic mission in Gabon and first Bishop there
• 12 May – Louis-Auguste Bisson, photographer
• 6 June – Auguste Casimir-Perier, diplomat

  July to December

• 27 August – Eugène Fromentin, painter and writer
• 29 August – Félicien-César David, composer
• August – Etienne-Paulin Gagne, poet, essayist, lawyer, politician, inventor, and eccentric
• 10 October – Charles Joseph Sainte-Claire Deville, geologist and meteorologist
• 10 October – Hyacinthe de Valroger, Roman Catholic priest and Oratorian