Armand-Joseph Guffroy

Armand-Benoit-Joseph Guffroy , born the November 10th 1742 with Arras (Pas-de-Calais), dead the February 9th 1801 with Paris, is a man of law and a political personality of the French revolution.

Lawyer with the council of Artois, it is named into 178 member of Assemblé provincial of Artois. At the beginning of the Révolution, it is characterized in some writings political very favorable to the novel ideas, which is worth to be elected Justice of the Peace in Arras in 1790 then appointed Pas-de-Calais with the national Convention the September 9th 1792, 7th on 11 with 458 votes out of 766 voters.

As of its arrival, it founds a newspaper, the Rougiff, or France in the high-speed motorboat , whose title forms an anagram of its name and where it supports the policy of the Montagne. It also makes appear a Discours on what the nation must do of above the king . At the time of the Lawsuit of Louis XVI, it votes in favor of dead and against the deferment. Opposed to the the Gironde, he applauds his fall, after the days of the May 31st and June 2nd 1793.

Entered with the Committee of general security, it makes placed the bust of Descartes to the the Pantheon and claims the same honor for Fénelon the October 4th 1793, motion rejected on proposal of Bazire, which points out that Fénelon wrote a treaty to prove that the monarchical government is the best of all. With Convention, it shows an intractable nature to the platform, which is worth to him the nickname of Citoyen Scaffold . May, considered to be not very sincere in its polemics, it is excluded from the Club of the Jacobins. In addition, its newspaper is denounced by Chasles, which says it “infected aristocratic poison”. Several of his/her colleagues show it to maintain the bonds with the marquis de Travanet or another person attached before to the service of the king.

The 9-Thermidor, it attacks Robespierre violently, joining then the reaction thermidorienne. Member of the Commission directed by Courteous, which with the responsibility of inventory papers of “Incorruptible”, one claims that it would have destroyed parts being able to make doubt his honesty.

The August 5th 1794, it attacks Joseph the Good, his compatriot, who answers him by quoting passages of the Rougiff . The February 4th 1795, on the other hand, it speaks in praise of the control of Cadroy and Mariette at the time of their mission in the South and makes sanction by Convention the measurements of rigor taken on this occasion. The March 27th, it shows Duhem to correspond with Jacobins imprisoned to Bourbe and to plot with them against Convention. Two days after, it makes issue by the assembly that Billaud-Game preserve, Collot d' Herbois and Barère, then prevented, is heard at once.

Its speeches and its writings in favor of the reaction are worth to him in its turn of violent attacks. In the Year V, Couchery proves with the Conseil of the Five hundred that Guffroy was devoted to an untrue denunciation against Rougeville of Arras, from which he was the debtor, and which he had obtained the arrest of his son. These revelations discredit Guffroy, which is withdrawn in Arras.

However, it ends up obtaining, through requests, the station of chief-assistant of the Ministère of the Justice, which it occupies until his death, in 1801.

Source

Dictionary of the French members of Parliament of 1789 to 1889, volume 3, p. 276-277

Random links: