HERAULT DE SECHELLES

herault de sechelles, marie jean (1759-1794), french politician, was born at paris on the 20th of september 1759, of a noble family connected with those of contades and polignac. he made his debut as a lawyer at the chatelet, and delivered some very successful speeches; later he was _avocat general_ to the parlement of paris. his legal occupations did not prevent him from devoting himself also to literature, and after 1789 he published an account of a visit he had made to the comte de buffon at montbard. herault's account is marked by a delicate irony, and it has with some justice been called a masterpiece of interviewing, before the day of journalists. herault, who was an ardent champion of the revolution, took part in the taking of the bastille, and on the 8th of december 1789 was appointed judge of the court of the first arrondissement in the department of paris. from the end of january to april 1791 herault was absent on a mission in alsace, where he had been sent to restore order. on his return he was appointed _commissaire du roi_ in the court of cassation. he was elected as a deputy for paris to the legislative assembly, where he gravitated more and more towards the extreme left; he was a member of several committees, and, when a member of the diplomatic committee, presented a famous report demanding that the nation should be declared to be in danger (11th june 1793). after the revolution of the 10th of august 1792 (see french revolution), he co-operated with danton, one of the organizers of this rising, and on the 2nd of september was appointed president of the legislative assembly. he was a deputy to the national convention for the department of seine-et-oise, and was sent on a mission to organize the new department of mont blanc. he was thus absent during the trial of louis