Jean-François Ducos (26October 176531October 1793) was a French ''député'' for the

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

to the Legislative Assembly then the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

Life

The son of a merchant in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, he was sent to

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

to learn his trade but there became interested in politics and philosophy, joining several such circles, in which he gained a reputation for patriotism. This allowed him to be elected as a député for Gironde to the Legislative Assembly then the Convention. There he sat with the

Girondin The Girondins (, ), also called Girondists, were a political group during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnards, they initiall ...

s (but tended to favour the opinions of the Montagnards) and took up marked positions, such as in the issues surrounding

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, the abolition of the monarchy and the question of the refractory priests. He was virulently opposed to La Fayette. Protection from Marat meant he escaped a purge on 2 June 1793, but he fell under suspicion due to his protests against the arrests and summary 'disappearances'. He was mentioned in the report by Amar on 3 October 1793 and condemned to death on 30 October. He was

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

d on 31 October alongside other Girondins, including his friend and brother-in-law Jean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède. Noted for his caustic wit, Ducos reputedly remarked, while awaiting his turn at the guillotine, "The Convention has forgotten one thing: a decree on the unity and indivisibility of heads and bodies."

In popular culture

*Ducos, together with his friend Boyer-Fonfrède, appears in a supporting role in the historical mystery novel ''Palace of Justice'' (2010) by Susanne Alleyn. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ducos, Jean-Francois 1765 births 1793 deaths Politicians from Bordeaux Deputies to the French National Convention French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution