André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat
Encyclopedia
André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat was born 30 November 1746 in Bordeaux
, France
, and died 14 October 1829.
, a commercial ship owner. He studied in Holland at the Protestant University of Franeker
.
In 1763, returning to France after a stay in England
, de Ladebat entered his father's naval armaments business, and invested heavily in the development of an "Experimental Farm" in Pessac
, and began to deforest the moors
of Bordeaux. (La ferme expérimentale de Pessac en Gironde France) During the same period, he actively participated in the work of the Bordeaux Academy of Sciences, as well as the Academy of Painting and Sculpture, of which he was president.
De Ladebat distinguished himself through his writings on finance, political economy
, and the improvement of living conditions. He is especially noted for his 1788 work "Discourse on the Necessity and the Means of Abolishing Slavery in the Colonies" which would be published in Bordeaux and read several years later in a session of the Legislative Assembly
, and would be drawn upon by the Societé des amis des noirs (Society of Friends of Blacks) with which be became associated.
, despite his status as a noble
. However, as he refused to resign from his post in order to represent the nobility in his département
, he was removed from office. While a member of the executive committee of the Gironde
in 1790, he was elected to serve as deputy from the Gironde at the Legislative Assembly
, where he rejoined the moderate Feuillant
royalist party: he presided over the Finance Committee and assumed the presidency of the Legislative Assembly in June, 1792. On 20 June 1792, during the riots at the Tuileries Palace
, he defended King Louis XVI of France
and the royal family, an action which led to his arrest the following December.
Though released at the beginning of the Convention
, de Ladebat was again imprisoned under the Reign of Terror
as suspect because of his connections with the Girondins. He escaped the Revolutionary Tribunal
thanks to the government's reliance on his credit in order to finance its operations.
Finally, under the Executive Directory
, he was elected a deputy on the Council of Ancients
. De Ladebat represented a danger to individuals in compromising or corrupt positions of power in need of enormous financial support. His personal honesty, thoroughness, and devout Protestantism
made him a serious challenge to the Directory. Along with Boissy d'Anglais, he unceasingly denounced licentiousness and bureaucratic waste.
at the time of the 18 Fructidor coup against the new moderate majority on the Councils.. He was later deported to French Guyana with sixteen other deputies. He would remain in exile at Sinnamary
for over two years with several other deportees, including General Pichegru. Of the sixteen deported to Sinnamary, eight died there or while escaping, six escaped successfully, and two were finally recalled to France.
. However, he remained suspicious of Bonaparte, who always had blamed him for denouncing previous acts of violence in Italy
, and had demanded his dismissal shortly before the events of 18 Fructidor. Bonaparte, was suspicious of de Ladebat's independence, removed his name from the Senate roles. De Ladebat was the only one of the surviving members of the 18 Fructidor plot to leave politics and return to commerce.
.
He sought to repair the damage done to his finances following his deportation after 18 Fructidor; he reclaimed the remainder of his dispersed or confiscated assets and, notably, obtained compensation for the Sartine , one of his family-owned boats earlier requisitioned for use in the Indies
.
During the Bourbon Restoration
, he fell out of favor with the House of Bourbon
. He also contributed to the establishment of the Caisses d'Epargne
and philanthropic institutions. In 1818, he became the president of the Protestant Society of Forethought and Mutual Assistance, and a member of the Society of Christian Morality. In 1821, he was among the founders of the Committee for the Abolition of Slavery, along with Auguste de Stael and Charles de Rémusat
.
The same year, after a stay in England where he studied the new community and industrial organization systems implemented by Robert Owen
at New Lanark
, de Ladebat translated the works of Henry Grey Macnab, which relate and analyse his pioneering experiences working for the "Relief and most useful employment of the working class and the poor, and for the education of their children."
Shortly before his death in 1829, he assembled his notes from his deportation to Sinnamary, which would eventually be published by his grandson in 1912 under the title "Journal from my Deportation to French Guiana - Fructidor Year 5 - Ventôse Year 8." He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery
in Paris
. His eulogy was delivered by the then-President of the Conseil d'État, François Guizot
. (André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat)
http://fructidor.voila.net
http://ladebat.voila.net
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and died 14 October 1829.
Early life
André Laffon de Ladebat was the son of Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de LadebatJacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat
Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat was one of the most important shipbuilders and merchants of the port of Bordeaux in the late 18th century...
, a commercial ship owner. He studied in Holland at the Protestant University of Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
.
In 1763, returning to France after a stay in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, de Ladebat entered his father's naval armaments business, and invested heavily in the development of an "Experimental Farm" in Pessac
Pessac
Pessac is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is adjacent to it on the southwest. It is a member of the metropolitan Urban Community of Bordeaux...
, and began to deforest the moors
Moorland
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat, in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome, found in upland areas, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils and heavy fog...
of Bordeaux. (La ferme expérimentale de Pessac en Gironde France) During the same period, he actively participated in the work of the Bordeaux Academy of Sciences, as well as the Academy of Painting and Sculpture, of which he was president.
De Ladebat distinguished himself through his writings on finance, political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
, and the improvement of living conditions. He is especially noted for his 1788 work "Discourse on the Necessity and the Means of Abolishing Slavery in the Colonies" which would be published in Bordeaux and read several years later in a session of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly (France)
During the French Revolution, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly and of the National Convention.The Legislative...
, and would be drawn upon by the Societé des amis des noirs (Society of Friends of Blacks) with which be became associated.
Career in revolutionary politics
De Ladebat was appointed to the Estates-General of 1789Estates-General of 1789
The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the nobility, the Church, and the common people...
, despite his status as a noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. However, as he refused to resign from his post in order to represent the nobility in his département
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
, he was removed from office. While a member of the executive committee of the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
in 1790, he was elected to serve as deputy from the Gironde at the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly (France)
During the French Revolution, the Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to September 1792. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly and of the National Convention.The Legislative...
, where he rejoined the moderate Feuillant
Feuillant
Feuillant, a French word derived from the Latin for leaf, has been used as a tag by two different groups:*Feuillant *Feuillant ...
royalist party: he presided over the Finance Committee and assumed the presidency of the Legislative Assembly in June, 1792. On 20 June 1792, during the riots at the Tuileries Palace
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace was a royal palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed in the upheaval during the suppression of the Paris Commune...
, he defended King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and the royal family, an action which led to his arrest the following December.
Though released at the beginning of the Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
, de Ladebat was again imprisoned under the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
as suspect because of his connections with the Girondins. He escaped the Revolutionary Tribunal
Revolutionary Tribunal
The Revolutionary Tribunal was a court which was instituted in Paris by the Convention during the French Revolution for the trial of political offenders, and eventually became one of the most powerful engines of the Reign of Terror....
thanks to the government's reliance on his credit in order to finance its operations.
Finally, under the Executive Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
, he was elected a deputy on the Council of Ancients
Council of Ancients
The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders was the upper house of the Directory , the legislature of France from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution.The Council of Ancients was the senior of the two halves of...
. De Ladebat represented a danger to individuals in compromising or corrupt positions of power in need of enormous financial support. His personal honesty, thoroughness, and devout Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
made him a serious challenge to the Directory. Along with Boissy d'Anglais, he unceasingly denounced licentiousness and bureaucratic waste.
18 Fructidor and exile
De Ladebat was President of the Council of AncientsCouncil of Ancients
The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders was the upper house of the Directory , the legislature of France from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution.The Council of Ancients was the senior of the two halves of...
at the time of the 18 Fructidor coup against the new moderate majority on the Councils.. He was later deported to French Guyana with sixteen other deputies. He would remain in exile at Sinnamary
Sinnamary
Sinnamary is a town and commune on the coast of French Guiana, between Kourou and Iracoubo. Sinnamary was the second French settlement to be founded in French Guiana: the town was founded in 1664....
for over two years with several other deportees, including General Pichegru. Of the sixteen deported to Sinnamary, eight died there or while escaping, six escaped successfully, and two were finally recalled to France.
Return to France and retirement from politics
De Ladebat returned to France in February 1800 after intervention from the First Consul, Napoléon Bonaparte. After his return, several départements asked him to represent them in the SenateFrench Consulate
The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804...
. However, he remained suspicious of Bonaparte, who always had blamed him for denouncing previous acts of violence in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and had demanded his dismissal shortly before the events of 18 Fructidor. Bonaparte, was suspicious of de Ladebat's independence, removed his name from the Senate roles. De Ladebat was the only one of the surviving members of the 18 Fructidor plot to leave politics and return to commerce.
- "In an arbitrary monarchy, the Jacobin anarchyJacobin (politics)A Jacobin , in the context of the French Revolution, was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary far-left political movement. The Jacobin Club was the most famous political club of the French Revolution. So called from the Dominican convent where they originally met, in the Rue St. Jacques ,...
, the confusion of the Directory and the military despotismDespotismDespotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy...
, I saw nothing but contempt for the people," he wrote, explaining his abstention from politics.
Later life and death
De Ladebat gained widespread recognition for financial competence and ability after taking over direction of the Banque Territoriale and organizing the final liquidation of the Caisse d'Escompte, a predecessor of the Banque de FranceBanque de France
The Banque de France is the central bank of France; it is linked to the European Central Bank . Its main charge is to implement the interest rate policy of the European System of Central Banks...
.
He sought to repair the damage done to his finances following his deportation after 18 Fructidor; he reclaimed the remainder of his dispersed or confiscated assets and, notably, obtained compensation for the Sartine , one of his family-owned boats earlier requisitioned for use in the Indies
Indies
The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia, occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and...
.
During the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, he fell out of favor with the House of Bourbon
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
. He also contributed to the establishment of the Caisses d'Epargne
Savings and loan association
A savings and loan association , also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans...
and philanthropic institutions. In 1818, he became the president of the Protestant Society of Forethought and Mutual Assistance, and a member of the Society of Christian Morality. In 1821, he was among the founders of the Committee for the Abolition of Slavery, along with Auguste de Stael and Charles de Rémusat
Charles de Rémusat
Charles François Marie, Comte de Rémusat , was a French politician and writer.-Biography:He was born in Paris. His father, Auguste Laurent, Comte de Rémusat, of a good family of Toulouse, was chamberlain to Napoleon Bonaparte, but acquiesced in the restoration and became prefect first of Haute...
.
The same year, after a stay in England where he studied the new community and industrial organization systems implemented by Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
at New Lanark
New Lanark
New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles from Lanark, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housing for the mill workers. Dale built the mills there to take advantage of the water power provided by the river...
, de Ladebat translated the works of Henry Grey Macnab, which relate and analyse his pioneering experiences working for the "Relief and most useful employment of the working class and the poor, and for the education of their children."
Shortly before his death in 1829, he assembled his notes from his deportation to Sinnamary, which would eventually be published by his grandson in 1912 under the title "Journal from my Deportation to French Guiana - Fructidor Year 5 - Ventôse Year 8." He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, France , though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs.Père Lachaise is in the 20th arrondissement, and is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His eulogy was delivered by the then-President of the Conseil d'État, François Guizot
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
. (André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat)
Sources
- Philippe de Ladebat : "Seuls les morts ne reviennent jamais : les pionniers de la guillotine sèche en Guyane française sous le Directoire" Editions Amalthée, Nantes France 1er trim. 2008
http://fructidor.voila.net
- André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat : "Journal de déportation et discours politiques", Edition revue et commentée, EDILIVRE Paris France, 2009.
http://ladebat.voila.net
- Memorial d'André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat et correspondances manuscrites non publiées(Archives familiales privées Laffon de Ladebat)
- Correspondances de déportation : Centre des Archives d'Outre-Mer, Aix-en-Provence, France.