Adrien Duport

Adrien Duport (6 February 1759 – 6 July 1798) was a French politician, and lawyer.

Adrien Jean Françoise Duport was born in Paris. He became an influential advocate in the parlement, and was prominent in opposition to the ministers Calonne and Loménie de Brienne.

His early writings show a man who read Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire, but his ideals were closer to the theories of Montesquieu and the Physiocrats. He was influenced by Cesare Beccaria on the reform of justice. He became the center of the parliamentary strength against absolutism, moving toward positions close to those advocated by Antoine Barnave and Jean Joseph Mounier. He shared the enthusiasm of his contemporaries to the American Revolution, and became acquainted with Lafayette.

From 1784, he was a follower of mesmerism, and saw this secret society a way to prepare for major changes in society and the state. He was friends with Nicolas Berger and Jacques Pierre Brissot. He was initiated at the lodge of the Friends meeting in Paris, and he participated in Freemasonry debates. He became one of the main leaders of the parliamentary group, the Marais.

Elected in 1789, to the states-general by the Paris nobility, he displayed remarkable eloquence. As a jurist, he contributed during the Constituent Assembly to the organization of the judiciary of France. In his report of March 29, 1790, he advocated trial by jury; but failed to introduce the jury system in civil cases.

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