Jean Espariat was a French lawyer and politician. He served as the first Mayor of Aix-en-Provence in 1790, and again as the third Mayor from 1791 to 1792. Additionally, he helped create the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1791 to 1792.
Jean Espariat | |
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| Born | 17 September 1747 Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Died | 14 January 1827 (aged 79) Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer Politician |
Biography
editJean Espariat was born on 17 September 1747 in Aix-en-Provence. His father, Charles Espariat, was a silversmith and later a lawyer in the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence.
After the Ancien Régime came to an end and the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence was dismantled by the French Revolution, Espariat was elected as first Mayor of Aix-en-Provence on 10 February 1790.[1] However, the early days were still chaotic.[2] He was a moderate.[3] Indeed, on the Cours Saint-Louis in Aix, he stopped the Vexin regiment, a pro-revolutionary regiment, and the Royal Marine regiment, a pro-aristocratic regiment, from killing each other.[4][5]
He stepped down on 11 November 1790 and let the Vice Mayor, Toussaint-Bernard Émeric-David, serve as Mayor. During that time, lawyer Jean-Joseph-Pierre Pascalis (1732-1790), a royalist, was killed during the riots of December 1790 in Aix-en-Provence. Meanwhile, together with Antoine Balthazar Joachim, baron d'André (1759 -1825) and an abbey from Quinson, he helped establish the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from September 1791 to 1792, when he condemned the revolutionary crimes in Avignon. He also returned as Mayor of Aix on 1 September 1791 until 20 September 1792. He was jailed during the Reign of Terror of 1793–1794.[5] During the French Directory of 1795 to 1799, he served as an administrator of the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône he had helped create. During the French Consulate of 1799–1804, he served as a magistrate in the Criminal Court of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
He received the Knighthood of the Legion of Honour for his public service.
He died on 14 January 1827 in Aix-en-Provence.
References
edit- ^ Charles de Ribbe, Pascalis : étude sur la fin de la Constitution provençale, 1787-1790, Aix-en-Provence, 1854, p. 310
- ^ Paul Masson (ed.), Raoul Busquet (ed.), Joseph Fournier (ed.), 'La vie politique et administrative', in Les Bouches-du-Rhône : encyclopédie départementale, volume 5, 1929, p. 6
- ^ Histoire d'une ville: Aix-en-Provence, Scéren, CRDP de l'académie d'Aix-Marseille, Marseille, 2008, p. 99
- ^ Étienne Antoine Benoit Rouard, Notice sur la bibliothèque d'Aix, dite de Méjanes, Paris, Aix-en-Provence, 1831, p. 259
- ^ a b J.-F. Porte, Aix ancien et moderne, Aix-en-Provence, 1833, p. 79.