Jean-Pierre-André Amar

Jean-Pierre-André Amar or Jean-Baptiste-André Amar (May 11, 1755—December 21, 1816) was a French political figure of the Revolution.

Life

Early activities

Born in a rich family of cloth merchants in Grenoble, he became a lawyer for the local "parlement" in 1774. Ten years later, he purchased the title of "Trésorier de France", which gave him a title in the French nobility, for 200,000 "livres".

In 1790, Amar was elected vice-president of the Grenoble directory, and became a deputy to the National Convention for the "département" of Isère, and joined The Mountain, voting in favor of King Louis XVI's execution during his trial.

Prominence

Sent on mission with Jean-Marie-François Merlino to Ain and Isère in early 1793), he oversaw the "levée en masse" of 300,000 soldiers brought about by the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars and he made widespread arrests of "counter-revolutionaries". Amar entered the Committee of General Security after the events of June 2, 1793 (on June 16), and was, with Marc-Guillaume Alexis Vadier, one of its most influential members. He was noted for his attacks on the Girondists and his order to arrest the deputies who had protested against the violence of The Mountain.

He followed this with his involvement in the downfall of the partisans of Georges Danton ("the Indulgants") and the Hébertists in (1794). However, Amar grew wary of Maximilien Robespierre and the Reign of Terror, and was involved in the Thermidorian Reaction from its very beginning.

Later life

Arrested himself as a former partisan of Terror (April 2, 1795), he benefitted from an amnesty on October 26. Amar then opposed the establishment of the French Directory in November, and took part in the conspiracy of Gracchus Babeuf early in 1796; tried by the Court in Vendôme, he was acquitted on May 26.

He retired from public life, and lived most of his remaining years in Isère and Savoie, discovering devotional mysticism based on the works of Emanuel Swedenborg. He died in Paris.