- André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat
Born
November 30 ,1746 inBordeaux ,France , diedOctober 14 ,1829 .Early life
André Laffon de Ladebat was the son of
Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat , a commercial ship owner. He studied inHolland at the Protestant University ofFraneker .In 1763, returning to
France after a stay inEngland , de Ladebat entered his father'snaval armament s business, and invested heavily in the development of an "ExperimentalFarm " inPessac , and began to deforest the moors ofBordeaux . [http://noes.site.voila.fr/ (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 ofAbolishing Slavery in theColonies " which would be published inBordeaux 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. [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/10697/10697-8.txt]Career in
Revolutionary Politics De Ladebat was appointed to the
Estates-General of 1789, despite his status as anoble . However, as he refused toresign from his post in order to represent thenobility in his département, he was removed from office. While a member of the executive committee of theGironde in 1790, he was elected to serve as deputy from the Gironde at the Legislative Assembly, where he rejoined the moderateFeuillant royalist party: he presided over the Finance Committee and assumed the presidency of theLegislative Assembly in June, 1792. OnJune 20 ,1792 , during theriots at theTuileries Palace , he defended KingLouis XVI 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 theGirondins . He escaped theRevolutionary 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 devoutProtestantism made him a serious challenge to the Directory. Along withBoissy d'Anglais , he unceasingly denounced licentiousness and bureaucratic waste.18 Fructidor and Exile
De Ladebat was President of the
Council of Ancients at the time of the18 Fructidor coup against the new moderate majority on the Councils. [http://site.voila.fr/18_fructidor_anV (Le coup d'état du 18 fructidor an V)] . He was later deported toFrench Guyana with sixteen otherdeputies . He would remain inexile atSinnamary for over two years with several other deportees, including General Pichegru. Of the sixteen deported toSinnamary , eight died there or while escaping, six escaped successfully, and two were finally recalled toFrance .Return to France and Retirement from Politics
De Ladebat returned to
France in February 1800 after intervention from theFirst Consul ,Napoléon Bonaparte . After his return, several "départements" asked him to represent them in the Senate. However, he remained suspicious of Bonaparte, who always had blamed him for denouncing previous acts of violence inItaly , and had demanded his dismissal shortly before the events of18 Fructidor . Bonaparte, was suspicious of de Ladebat's independence, removed his name from theSenate roles. De Ladebat was the only one of the surviving members of the 18 Fructidor plot to leavepolitics and return tocommerce ."In an arbitrary monarchy, the Jacobin anarchy, the confusion of the Directory and the military
despotism , 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 France .He sought to repair the damage done to his finances following his
deportation after18 Fructidor ; he reclaimed the remainder of his dispersed or confiscated assets and, notably, obtained compensation for the Sartine [http://sartine.site.voila.fr/] , one of his family-owned vessels earlier requisitioned for use in theIndies .During the
Bourbon Restoration , he fell out of favor with theHouse of Bourbon . He also contributed to the establishment of the Caisses d'Epargne andphilanthropic institutions. In 1818, he became the president of the "Protestant Society of Forethought and Mutual Assistance, as well as a member of the Society ofChristian Morality" . In 1821, he was among the founders of the "Committee for theAbolition of Slavery ", along withAuguste de Stael andCharles de Rémusat .The same year, after a stay in
England where he studied the new community and industrial organization systems implemented byRobert Owen atNew 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 atPère Lachaise Cemetery inParis . His eulogy was delivered by the then-President of theConseil d'État ,François Guizot . [http://site.voila.fr/Laffon_de_Ladebat (André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat)]SOURCES :
BOOKS:
= Philippe de Ladebat : "Seuls les morts ne reviennent jamais : les pionniers de la guillotine sèche en Guyane française sous le Directoire" Editions Amalthée 1er trim. 2008http://site.voila.fr/fructidor
= Journal de ma déportation à la Guyane française (Fructidor an V - Ventôse an VIII)Publié d'après les manuscrits inédits. Laffon-Ladebat Président du Conseil des Anciens - Ollendorff 1912
= Memorial d'André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat et correspondances manuscrites non publiées(Archives familiales privées)
= Correspondances de déportation : Centre des Archives d'Outre-Mer, Aix-en-Provence, France.
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