Edmond-Charles Genêt (January 8, 1763July 14, 1834), also known as Citizen Genêt, was the French envoy to the United States appointed by 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 ...
during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. His actions on arriving in the United States led to a major political and international incident, which was termed the Citizen Genêt affair. Because of his actions, President
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
asked the French government to recall him.
The Mountain, having risen to power at the same time, replaced Genêt and issued a warrant for his arrest. Fearing for his life, Genêt asked for
asylum
Asylum may refer to:
Types of asylum
* Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome
* Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute
* Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea
...
in America, which was granted by Washington. Genêt stayed in the United States until his death. Historian
Carol Berkin
Carol Ruth Berkin (born October 1, 1942) is an American historian and author specializing in women's role in American colonial history.
Biography
She was born in Mobile, Alabama. She is divorced with two children. She graduated from Barnard C ...
argues that the Genêt affair bolstered popular respect for the president and strengthened his role in dealing with foreign affairs.
Early life and education
Genêt was born in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
in 1763. He was the ninth and final child of a French civil servant, Edmond Jacques Genêt (1726–1781), who was a head clerk in the ministry of foreign affairs.
The elder Genêt analyzed British naval strength during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
and monitored the progress of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. His eldest sister was
Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan
Jeanne Louise ''Henriette'' Campan (''née'' Genet; 6 OctoberMadame Campan, ''Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France'', 1752, Paris 16 March 1822, Mantes) was a French educator, writer and Lady's maid. In the service of Marie ...
, who became an educator and author. Aglaé-Louise Auguié (1782-1854), who was the wife of
Marshal Ney of France, was Genêt's niece.
Genêt was a prodigy who could read French, English, Italian, Latin, Swedish, Greek, and German by the age of 12.
Career
At 18, Genêt was appointed court translator, and in 1788 he was sent to the French embassy in Saint Petersburg to serve as
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...
. Over time, Genêt became disenchanted with the ''
ancien régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
'', learning to despise not just the French monarchy but all monarchical systems, including
Tsarist
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...
Russia under
Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
. In 1792, Catherine declared Genêt ''
persona non grata
In diplomacy, a ' (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ') is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution.
Diplomacy
Under Article 9 of the ...
'', calling his presence "not only superfluous but even intolerable." The same year, 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 ...
rose to power in France and appointed Genêt to the post of minister to the United States.
Citizen Genêt affair
The Citizen Genêt affair began in 1793 when he was dispatched to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
to promote American support for
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
's wars with
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
and
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
.
Genêt arrived in
Charleston,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
on the French frigate
''Embuscade'' on April 8. Instead of traveling to the then-capital of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
to present himself to
U.S. President George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
for accreditation, Genêt stayed in South Carolina. There he was greeted with enthusiasm by the people of Charleston, who threw a string of parties in his honor.
Genêt's goals in South Carolina were to recruit and arm American
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
s who would join French expeditions against the British. He commissioned four privateering ships in total, including the ''Republicaine'', the ''Anti-George'', the ''
Sans-Culotte
The (, 'without breeches') were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, a great many of whom became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the . T ...
'', and the ''Citizen Genêt''. Working with French consul
Michel Ange Bernard Mangourit
Michel Ange Bernard de Mangourit (21 August 1752, Rennes – 17 February 1829) was a French diplomat, and French ambassador to the United States from 1796 to 1800, during the Quasi-War.
Life
He was the son of Bernard de Mangourit and Marguerite- ...
, Genêt
organized American volunteers to fight Britain's Spanish allies in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
. After raising a militia, Genêt set sail toward Philadelphia, stopping along the way to marshal support for the French cause and arriving on May 16. He encouraged
Democratic-Republican societies Democratic-Republican Societies were local political organizations formed in the United States in 1793 and 1794 to promote republicanism and democracy and to fight aristocratic tendencies. They were independent of each other and had no coordinat ...
, but President Washington denounced them and they quickly withered away. He was also hosted by the Democratic-Republican
Tammany Society
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...
in 1793.
His actions endangered American neutrality in the war between France and Britain, which Washington had pointedly declared in his
Neutrality Proclamation
The Proclamation of Neutrality was a formal announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington on April 22, 1793, that declared the nation neutral in the conflict between France and Great Britain. It threatened legal proceedings against any ...
of April 22. When Genêt met with Washington, he asked for what amounted to a suspension of American neutrality to support the cause of France. When turned down by
Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
and informed that his actions were unacceptable, Genêt protested. Meanwhile, Genêt's privateers were capturing British ships, and his militia was preparing to move against the Spanish.
Genêt continued to defy the wishes of the United States government, capturing British ships and rearming them as privateers. Washington sent Genêt an 8,000-word letter of complaint on Jefferson's and Hamilton's advice – one of the few situations in which the
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charle ...
and the
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Jefferson agreed. Genêt replied obstinately. President Washington and his Cabinet then demanded that France recall Genêt as its Ambassador.
The Mountain, having taken power in France by January 1794, issued an arrest warrant for Genêt. Genêt, knowing that he would likely be sent to the
guillotine
A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...
, asked Washington for asylum. Hamilton, Genêt's fiercest opponent in the cabinet, convinced Washington to grant him safe haven in the United States.
Later life
After obtaining asylum in the United States from Washington, Genêt moved to New York State. On June 26, 1808, Genêt wrote an article, "Madison as a 'French Citizen,'" for the ''New York Register'' in an attempt to promote the prospects of his father-in-law, the incumbent Vice President
George Clinton, over
James Madison
James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...
in the
presidential election of 1808. Noting the honorary French citizenship afforded to Madison in 1792, Genêt reasoned that the
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 was a general trade embargo on all foreign nations that was enacted by the United States Congress. As a successor or replacement law for the 1806 Non-importation Act and passed as the Napoleonic Wars continued, it repr ...
had been intended by Secretary of State Madison to aid
Napoleon
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 wh ...
in the enforcement of the
Berlin Decree
The Berlin Decree was issued in Berlin by Napoleon on November 21, 1806, after the French success against Prussia at the Battle of Jena, which led to the Fall of Berlin (1806), Fall of Berlin. The decree was issued in response to the British Order- ...
, especially seeing that American trade with Britain was more important than that with France. Playing to a northeastern audience, Genêt continued that, judging by Jefferson's glorification of an agricultural lifestyle in ''
Notes on the State of Virginia
''Notes on the State of Virginia'' (1785) is a book written by the American statesman, philosopher, and planter Thomas Jefferson. He completed the first version in 1781 and updated and enlarged the book in 1782 and 1783. It originated in Jeffers ...
'', the Embargo was also acting as a covert means to destroy New England's commercial heritage. As such, New Englanders would be forced to turn to agriculture, and Virginia's dominance of American politics would continue.
Personal life
Genêt married Cornelia Tappen Clinton (1774–1810) in 1794, the daughter of New York Governor
George Clinton. Genêt lived on a farm he called Prospect Hill located in
East Greenbush, New York overlooking the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...
. Living the life of a gentleman farmer, he wrote a book about inventions. Their children included:
* Edmond Charles Genet (1797–1802), who died young.
*
Henry James Genet (1800–1872), a member of the State Assembly in
1832
Events
January–March
* January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society.
* January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plant ...
who married Martha Elizabeth Taylor (1809–1896).
* Maria Louisa Genet (1802–1888), who married Cornelius Van Buren Van Rensselaer (1793–1868), son of Col.
Nicholas Van Rensselaer.
* Charles Alexander Genet (1805–1838)
* Cornelia Tappen Genet (1808–1877), who married Andrew Conkey Getty (1810–1891).
His wife Cornelia died in 1810, and on July 31, 1814, Genêt remarried to Martha Brandon Osgood (1787–1853), the daughter of
Samuel Osgood
Samuel Osgood (February 3, 1747 – August 12, 1813) was an American merchant and statesman born in Andover, Massachusetts, currently a part of North Andover, Massachusetts. His family home still stands at 440 Osgood Street in North Andover ...
, the United States' first
Postmaster General
A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsib ...
.
Together, they were the parents of:
* Henriette Campan Genet (1815–1826), who died young.
* Edmond Charles Genet (b. 1816), who died young.
* Samuel Osgood Genet (1819–1824), who died young.
* Edme Jacques Genet (1821–1891), who married Magdelene Van Rensselaer Witbeck (1813–1900).
They had no children.
* George Clinton Genet (1824–1904), who married Augusta Georgia Kirtland (1838–1911).
They had no children.
He died on July 14, 1834 and is buried in the churchyard behind the Greenbush Reformed Church, about two miles east of his farm.
Descendants
Edmond Charles Clinton Genet (1896–1917), who served with the
Lafayette Escadrille
The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
and was the first American flier to die in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
after the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
declared war against Germany in 1917, was Genêt's great-grandson.
Legacy
* An elementary school in
East Greenbush, New York
East Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Albany. The population was 16,473 at the 2010 census. The word Greenbush is derived from the Dutch ''het groen bosch,'' referring to the pine woods that ori ...
, is named ''Citizen Genet Elementary School,'' formerly Genet Middle School.
* Genêt is portrayed by
Cyril Descours
Cyril Descours (born 15 July 1983 in Frankfurt) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than twenty feature films since 2000 as well as in French television films and series, and on stage.
Career
The mother of Cyril Descours was German and he ...
in Episode V of the 2008 miniseries
John Adams
John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
.
See also
*
Franco-U.S. relations
References
;Notes
;Sources
Further reading
* Ammon, Harry. ''The Genet Mission''. New York: W.W. Norton, 1971.
* Berkin, Carol. ''A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism'' (2017) pp 81–150.
* Campbell, Wesley J. "The Origin of Citizen Genet's Projected Attack on Spanish Louisiana: A Case Study in Girondin Politics." ''French Historical Studies'' 33.4 (2010): 515-544
online
* Childs, Frances Sergeant. ''French Refugee Life in the United States, 1790–1800: An American Chapter of the French Revolution'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1940.
* Elkins, Stanley, and Eric McKitrick. ''The Age of Federalism''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
* Link, Eugene Perry. ''Democratic-Republican Societies, 1790–1800''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1942.
* Sheridan, Eugene R. "The Recall of Edmond Charles Genet: A Study in Transatlantic Politics and Diplomacy". ''Diplomatic History'', Vol. 18 (Fall 1994), 463-68.
* Sioli, Marco. "Citizen Genêt and Political Struggle in the Early American Republic." ''Revue française d'études américaines'' (1995): 259-267, in Englis
online
* Thomas, Charles Marion. ''American Neutrality in 1793: A Study in Cabinet Government''. New York: Columbia University Press, 1931.
* Unger, Harlow Giles. ''The French War Against America: How a Trusted Ally Betrayed Washington and the Founding Fathers''. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005.
External links
*
*
* Information about Citizen Genêt can be found in th
Genêt Family Papers which contains manuscripts, letters, correspondences, compilations, circulars, and photographs related to Edmond Charles Genêt and his diverse career as diplomat, inventor, farmer, and correspondent with the leaders of American government, society, and scientific thought, in th
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genet, Edmond-Charles
1763 births
1834 deaths
18th-century French diplomats
18th-century French people
Ambassadors of France to the Russian Empire
Ambassadors of France to the United States
Clinton family of New York
French emigrants to the United States
People from Versailles