André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat (30 November 1746 – 14 October 1829) was a French financier, politician and philanthropist.
Early life
André Laffon de Ladebat was born in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, France, the son of commercial ship-owner
Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat
Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat (2 January 1719 – 18 November 1797) was a prominent shipbuilder and merchant of the port of Bordeaux in the late 18th century. His son, André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat (November 30th, 1746 – October 14th 18 ...
. He studied in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
at the Protestant University of
Franeker.
In 1763, returning to France after a stay in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, 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
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
of Bordeaux. 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 is the study of how Macroeconomics, economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and Economy, national economies) and Politics, political systems (e.g. law, Institution, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied ph ...
, 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 he became associated.
Career in revolutionary politics
Despite his status as a
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
, de Ladebat was appointed to the
Estates-General of 1789. However, as he refused to resign from his post in order to represent the nobility in his ''
département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...
'', he was removed from office. While a member of the executive committee of the
Gironde
Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...
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
The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...
, he defended King
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...
and the royal family, an action which led to his arrest the following December.
Though released at the beginning of the
Convention
Convention may refer to:
* Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct
** Treaty, an agreement in international law
* Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...
, de Ladebat was again imprisoned under the
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...
as suspect because of his connections with the
Girondins
The Girondins ( , ), or Girondists, were members of a loosely knit political faction during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnard ...
. 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
The Directory (also called Directorate, ) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced b ...
, 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
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
made him a serious challenge to the Directory. Along with
Boissy d'Anglais Boissy is the name or part of the name of 18 communes of France:
*Boissy-aux-Cailles
*Boissy-en-Drouais
* Boissy-Fresnoy
* Boissy-l'Aillerie
*Boissy-la-Rivière
* Boissy-Lamberville
* Boissy-le-Bois
* Boissy-le-Châtel
*Boissy-le-Cutté
*Boissy-le-R ...
, he unceasingly denounced licentiousness and bureaucratic waste.
18 Fructidor and exile
De Ladebat was President of the
Council of Ancients at the time of the
18 Fructidor coup against the new moderate majority on the Councils. He was later deported to
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
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.
Return to France and retirement from politics
De Ladebat returned to France in February 1800 after intervention from the
First Consul
The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...
,
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. After his return, several ''départements'' asked him to represent them in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
. However, he remained suspicious of
Bonaparte, who had always blamed him for denouncing previous acts of violence in Italy, and had demanded his dismissal shortly before the events of 18 Fructidor. Suspicious of his independence, Bonaparte removed de Ladebat's name from the Senate roles. De Ladebat was the only surviving member of the 18 Fructidor plot to leave politics and return to commerce. Explaining his abstention from politics, he wrote,
:"In an arbitrary monarchy, the
Jacobin anarchy, the confusion of the Directory and the military
despotism
Despotism ( el, Δεσποτισμός, ''despotismós'') is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. Normally, that entity is an individual, the despot; but (as in an autocracy) societies which limit respect and ...
, I saw nothing but contempt for the people"
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
The Bank of France ( French: ''Banque de France''), headquartered in Paris, is the central bank of France. Founded in 1800, it began as a private institution for managing state debts and issuing notes. It is responsible for the accounts of the F ...
.
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 Bourbon Restoration may refer to:
France under the House of Bourbon:
* Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815)
Spain under the Spanish Bourbons:
* ...
, he fell out of favor with the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...
. 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 Staël 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
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted e ...
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
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. His eulogy was delivered by
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) 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 a ...
, then the President of the
Conseil d'État.
André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat
/ref>
References
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.
External links
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laffon De Ladebat, Andre-Daniel
1746 births
1829 deaths
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
Christian abolitionists
French abolitionists
French bankers
French financiers
French exiles
Members of the Legislative Assembly (France)
French Protestants
Businesspeople from Bordeaux
People of the French Revolution
University of Franeker alumni
18th-century French businesspeople
Politicians from Bordeaux