Jean-Nicolas Démeunier
Encyclopedia
Jean-Nicolas Démeunier was a French author
and politician
.
He was Royal Censor and secretary to "Monsieur", the Comte de Provence (Louis XVIII), who was the brother of King Louis XVI.
Démeunier was a deputy for the Paris "tiers état" at the Estates-General of 1789
preceding the French Revolution
. He was elected "administrateur de la ville de Paris" in 1791. He resigned from this post in 1792 and sought refuge in the United States until the end of the Reign of Terror
, when he returned to France.
He was a member of the Tribunat
, from its creation, and he became its president in 1800.
In 1802 he became senator and one of the loyal executors of Napoleon Bonaparte's politics, under both the Consulat and the First French Empire
, a service for which he was created a "Comte d'Empire".
, Démeunier was particularly active in the management of the newly-created Lycée of which "Monsieur", the Comte de Provence, was the principal Maecenas. This Lycée was created by combining the Musée de Paris with the Musée Scientifique—both had been created by the Société Appolonienne, the origin of which lay with Court de Gébelin who had been the Lodge's secretary in 1779 and was also a Royal Censor. The aim of these institutions was to provide good-quality education to the general public. After the return of Louis XVIII to Paris, the Lycée remained active under the name "Athénée Royal", until 1848.
Jean-Nicolas Démeunier may also be considered one of the key figures in the organisation of support for the American cause, by the Lodge. For example, his
was to be of great influence on the democratic experiments in Belgium in the few years preceding the French Revolution. (For a detailed discussion of events and relevant sources see Gorman 1925, reference below.)
The real significance of "L'Amérique indépendante..." lay in the fact that it was published as a separate volume of Démeunier's contributions to Charles Joseph Panckoucke's "Encyclopédie méthodique
", which had been corrected and debated in correspondence with Thomas Jefferson
.
Thomas Jefferson also was the source of "Précis historique de la révolution des États Unis d'Amérique, précédé de l'histoire de ses provinces, jusq'à l'époque de la révolution, et suivi du Manifeste ou de l'acte d'Indépendance des treize États-Unis", anonymously published in Ghent
by Goessin in 1789.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
He was Royal Censor and secretary to "Monsieur", the Comte de Provence (Louis XVIII), who was the brother of King Louis XVI.
Démeunier was a deputy for the Paris "tiers état" at the Estates-General of 1789
Estates-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...
preceding the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. He was elected "administrateur de la ville de Paris" in 1791. He resigned from this post in 1792 and sought refuge in the United States until the end of 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...
, when he returned to France.
He was a member of the Tribunat
Tribunat
The Tribunat was one of the four assemblies set up in France by the Constitution of Year VIII . It was set up officially on 1 January 1800 at the same time as the...
, from its creation, and he became its president in 1800.
In 1802 he became senator and one of the loyal executors of Napoleon Bonaparte's politics, under both the Consulat and the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, a service for which he was created a "Comte d'Empire".
Les Neuf Sœurs
As a member of the Masonic Lodge Les Neuf SœursLes Neuf Sœurs
Loge Les Neuf Sœurs , established in Paris in 1776, was a prominent French Masonic Lodge of the Grand Orient de France that was influential in organising French support for the American Revolution. A "Société des Neuf Sœurs," a charitable society that surveyed academic curricula, had been active at...
, Démeunier was particularly active in the management of the newly-created Lycée of which "Monsieur", the Comte de Provence, was the principal Maecenas. This Lycée was created by combining the Musée de Paris with the Musée Scientifique—both had been created by the Société Appolonienne, the origin of which lay with Court de Gébelin who had been the Lodge's secretary in 1779 and was also a Royal Censor. The aim of these institutions was to provide good-quality education to the general public. After the return of Louis XVIII to Paris, the Lycée remained active under the name "Athénée Royal", until 1848.
Jean-Nicolas Démeunier may also be considered one of the key figures in the organisation of support for the American cause, by the Lodge. For example, his
-
- "L'Amérique indépendante, ou les différents constitutions de treize provinces qui se sont érigées en républiques, sous le nom d'États-Unis de l'Amérique. Avec un précis de l'histoire de chaque province, et des remarques sur les constitutions, la population, les finances et l'état dans lequel les province se trouvent actuellement" (Par Démeunier avocat et censeur royal, auteur de la partie économie politique d'Encyclopédie methodique. À Gand, chez P.F.Goessin, Imprimeur-Librairie, Rue Hauteporte. 1790)
was to be of great influence on the democratic experiments in Belgium in the few years preceding the French Revolution. (For a detailed discussion of events and relevant sources see Gorman 1925, reference below.)
The real significance of "L'Amérique indépendante..." lay in the fact that it was published as a separate volume of Démeunier's contributions to Charles Joseph Panckoucke's "Encyclopédie méthodique
Encyclopédie Méthodique
The Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières is a roughly 210 to 216 volumes encyclopedia that was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter´s wife, Thérèse-Charlotte Agasse...
", which had been corrected and debated in correspondence with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
.
Thomas Jefferson also was the source of "Précis historique de la révolution des États Unis d'Amérique, précédé de l'histoire de ses provinces, jusq'à l'époque de la révolution, et suivi du Manifeste ou de l'acte d'Indépendance des treize États-Unis", anonymously published in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
by Goessin in 1789.