The Rise and Fall of a Revolutionary: The Political Career of Louis-Marie Stanislas Fréron, Representative on Mission and Conventionnel, 1754-1802
Karen L. Greene
Florida State Univ., 2004

Abstract

This dissertation examines the Revolutionary career of Louis-Marie Stanislas Fréron (1754-1802). As a youth, Fréron led a privileged life in a family that had close connections with the royal families of France and Poland. His father, Élie-Catherine Fréron, was a prominent author and literary critic who championed the traditional institutions of France against Voltaire and other philosophes. But, with the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, Fréron made a complete break with his father's principles. He joined the Jacobin Club, embraced republicanism, and became a well-known, radical journalist through his notorious newspaper L'Orateur du Peuple. Along with his work as a journalist, Fréron pursued a political career. In 1792 he was elected to the National Convention and was subsequently sent as a representative on mission to the departments of southeast France (1793-94). It was here that Fréron gained a notorious reputation as a ruthless Terrorist, especially as a result of his activities in the cities of Marseilles and Toulon.

With his friend and colleague Paul Barras, Fréron later played a leading role in the coup of 9 Thermidor (27-28 July 1794) that toppled Robespierre's government and began the process to dismantle the Terror. During the following chaotic period of the Thermidorian Reaction, Fréron sought to disassociate himself from his past activities as a Jacobin and agent of the Terror. Once again he took on the mantle of journalist, resurrecting his Orateur du Peuple as a voice of the Reaction. Through his newspaper he attacked his personal enemies and all those accused of remaining loyal to the person or principles of Robespierre. Moreover, he encouraged the street violence carried out by anti-Jacobin vigilantes, the jeunesse dorée, and was soon hailed as their leader. But, public knowledge of Fréron's past activities as a representative and participant in the Terror as well as his support and encouragement of violence after Thermidor ultimately brought him criticism and condemnation. His political career was irrevocably damaged and he was not reelected to the Legislative Corps of the Directory government (1795-1799).

In the final days of the National Convention, Fréron obtained one last assignment as a representative on mission to southeast France. On this mission Fréron showed great moderation and sagacity in the implementation of his duties. However this was not enough to erase his past, cleanse his tarnished reputation or silence his political opponents. As a result, the last seven years of Fréron’s public and private life were plagued with disappointment and failure. After failing repeatedly to win a seat in the Legislative Corps, Fréron drifted, debt-ridden, able only to obtain insignificant employment. Not only were his hopes of resurrecting his political career shattered, but so too were his plans to marry Napoleon Bonaparte’s young sister, Pauline, whom he had met while on his last mission in Marseilles. But his connections to the Bonaparte family, especially his friendship with Lucien Bonaparte, most likely influenced the First Consul’s 1802 decision to appoint Fréron to a position as sous-préfet to the French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti). But this mission was to be his last. Fréron contracted yellow fever, just weeks after his arrival there, and died alone and forgotten.

https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:254275/datastream/PDF/view