Marie François Sadi Carnot (French pronunciation: [maʁi fʁɑ̃swa sadi kaʁno]; 11 August 1837 – 25 June 1894) was a French statesman, the fourth president of the Third French Republic. He served as the President of France from 1887 until he was murdered by Sante Geronimo Caserio in 1894.
Carnot had a reputation for honesty, this made him a popular candidate to succeed Jules Grévy who had resigned following a scandal. He was elected by 616 votes out of 827. He assumed office at a critical period, when the republic was all but openly attacked by.
Carnot's popularity helped to force General Boulanger into exile. Boulanger was a conservative and a supporter of the monarchy, and it was feared he would try to overthrow the Republic.
Carnot was near his most popular, when, on 24 June 1894, he attended a public banquet in Lyon. Afterwards he was stabbed by an Italian anarchist named Sante Geronimo Caserio and died shortly after midnight on 25 June. The stabbing aroused widespread horror and grief, and the president was honoured with an elaborate funeral ceremony in the Panthéon.