Benjamin Raspail (16 August 1823 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

– 24 September 1899 in Cachan, Seine, now

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a p ...

), was a painter-engraver and politician of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...

. He was the son of

François-Vincent Raspail François-Vincent Raspail, L.L.D., M.D. (25 January 1794 – 7 January 1878) was a French chemist, naturalist, physician, physiologist, attorney, and socialist politician. Biography Raspail was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. A member of th ...

. Like his father, he was classed extreme-left and was also exiled to Belgium. In 1874, following the death of Eugène Lavenant, Raspail took over as Mayor of

Arcueil Arcueil () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as ''Arcoloï'', and later in the 12th ...

as "premier conseiller inscrit au tableau". He was also a member of the

conseil général The departmental councils ( French: ''conseils départementaux''; singular, ''conseil départemental'') of France are representative assemblies elected by universal suffrage in 98 of the country's 101 departments. Prior to the 2015 French de ...

for Seine. As member of the council for Seine for the Republican left, Raspail proposed the law, on 21 May 1880, which made 14 July a national holiday in commemoration of the

storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At ...

and the

Fête de la Fédération The (Festival of the Federation) was a massive holiday festival held throughout France in 1790 in honour of the French Revolution, celebrating the Revolution itself, as well as National Unity. It commemorated the revolution and events of 1789 ...

. The bill was signed by 64 members, and was adopted by the

Assemblée Nationale The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are know ...

on 8 June and by the

Sénat The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is the upper house of the French Parliament, with the lower house being the National Assembly, the two houses constituting the legislature of France. The French Senate is made up of 348 senators (''sénateurs'' ...

on 29 June. The bill was

promulgated Promulgation is the formal proclamation or the declaration that a new statutory or administrative law is enacted after its final approval. In some jurisdictions, this additional step is necessary before the law can take effect. After a new law ...

on 6 July 1880. He also proposed the law to seize the crown jewels from the monarchy, which was passed on 11 January 1887. He lost a leg, which had to be amputated, following a chase in Épinay by a stone-throwing mob. Upon his death, Raspail bequeathed his estate in Cachan to become a retirement home for people with work-related disabilities, and also a museum which would house his father's political documents and painting collection, as well as his own painting collection.

Electoral mandates

*1876–1877 : Seine *1877–1881 : Seine *1881–1885 : Seine *1885–1889 : Seine

External links

All about 14 July
People of the French Third Republic 1823 births 1899 deaths {{Seine-politician-stub