Georges Jacques Danton
| Georges Jacques Danton | |
|---|---|
Georges-Jacques Danton. Musée Carnavalet, Paris
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| Member of the Committee of Public Safety | |
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In office 6 April 1793 – 10 July 1793 |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Minister of Justice | |
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In office 10 August 1792 – 9 October 1792 |
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| Preceded by | Étienne Dejoly |
| Succeeded by | Dominique Joseph Garat |
| President of the National Convention | |
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In office 25 July 1793 – 8 August 1793 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Bon Saint-André |
| Succeeded by | Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles |
| Deputy to the National Convention | |
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In office 20 September 1792 – 5 April 1794 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 October 1759 Arcis-sur-Aube, France |
| Died | 5 April 1794 (aged 34) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party |
Cordeliers Club (1790–1791) Jacobin Club (1791–1794) |
| Other political affiliations |
The Mountain (1792–1794) |
| Spouse(s) |
Antoinette Gabrielle Danton (m. 1787–93); her death Louise Sébastienne Gély (m. 1793–94); his death |
| Children | François (1788–1789) Antoine (1790–1858) François Georges (1792–1848) |
| Parents | Jacques Danton and Mary Camus |
| Relatives | Anne Madeleine Danton (1755-1802) (Sister) Marie Nicole Cecile Danton (1757-1814) (Sister) Danton's Family |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Georges Jacques Danton (French: [ʒɔʁʒ dɑ̃tɔ̃]; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a leading figure in the early stages of the French Revolution, in particular as the first president of the Committee of Public Safety. Danton's role in the onset of the Revolution has been disputed; many historians describe him as "the chief force in the overthrow of the French monarchy and the establishment of the First French Republic".
A moderating influence on the Jacobins, he was guillotined by the advocates of revolutionary terror after accusations of venality and leniency toward the enemies of the Revolution.
Danton was born in Arcis-sur-Aube in northeastern France to Jacques Danton and Mary Camus; a respectable, but not wealthy family. As a child, he was attacked by several animals, resulting in the disfigurement and scarring of the skin on his face, also contributed to by smallpox.
After obtaining a good education he became an Advocate in Paris. He married Antoinette Gabrielle Charpentier (6 January 1760 – 10 February 1793) on 14 June 1787 at the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Paris. The couple had three sons:
On 10 February 1793, while Danton was on a mission in Belgium, Charpentier died, aged 33, giving birth to a boy, who also did not survive. Danton was so affected by her death that he recruited sculptor Claude André Deseine and brought him by night to Sainte-Catherine cemetery to excavate Charpentier's body and execute a death mask. Her bust is now on display at Troyes museum. After his first wife's death, Danton married Louise Sébastienne Gély, aged 16, daughter of Marc-Antoine Gély, court usher (huissier-audiencier) at the Parlement de Paris and member of the Club des Cordeliers. She looked after his two surviving sons.
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Wikipedia