23 Prairial
An CCXXXIV
André Jeanbon Saint-André
Jeanbon was a supporter of Robespierre. As a member of the Committee of Public Safety, he supported its policies, but spent most of his time on missions in the provinces as a specialist in naval affairs and military armament. When Robespierre was overthrown, he was not in Paris. The Thermidorians therefore removed him from the Committee of Public Safety under the pretext of his absence. Afterwards, as one of those responsible for the Terror, he was imprisoned for six months. After his release, he quickly regained a foothold in politics. In 1801, Napoleon appointed him prefect in the German city of Mainz. There Jeanbon worked for the welfare of his soldiers without regard for his own health. He died of typhus.
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1749 - 1813
- February 25, 1749 · Born in Montauban.
- 1765 · Training as a helmsman.
- 1773 · Pastor in Lausanne and Castres.
- 1788 · Pastor in Montauban.
- September 1792 · Elected to the National Convention as deputy for the department of Lot.
- June 12, 1793 · Member of the Committee of Public Safety.
- July 31, 1794 · After the fall of Robespierre, he is removed from the Committee of Public Safety. At this time he is in the provinces as a representative on mission of the Convention.
- May 28, 1795 · Because of his involvement in the Terror, he is imprisoned and released six months later under the general amnesty.
- 1798 · Diplomatic missions for the Directory in Izmir and Algiers. He is taken prisoner by the Turks and is not released until 1801.
- December 1801 · Under the Napoleonic Consulate, he becomes prefect of the department of Mont-Tonnerre in Mainz.
- 1809 · Napoleon appoints him Grand notable de l’Empire (Baron de Saint-André).
- December 10, 1813 · After caring for soldiers suffering from typhus, he himself dies of the disease.
Quotes
My opinions are not free from error; but my heart is beyond any reproach of falsehood or intrigue harmful to my country.
Jeanbon, January 1793
Experience teaches that the Revolution is by no means complete. The Convention must be told quite openly: you are a revolutionary assembly.
Jeanbon in a letter to Barère, March 26, 1793
Beneath this monument, simple like himself, rests J. B. Baron de St. André, Prefect of the department of Mont-Tonnerre.
Grave inscription in the cemetery of Mainz
Le Moniteur
Soldiers suffering from typhus, Mainz, 1813
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