272. DEBRY (Jean). Set of 4 folders containing several hundr - Lot 272

272. DEBRY (Jean). Set of 4 folders containing several hundred letters from Jean Debry's correspondence with his family from 1815 to 1833. The correspondence as a whole provides first-hand material for approaching the intimacy of the Conventionnel, then Prefect of the Empire, beyond the political figure that history has preserved. A fifth folder containing documents relating to Fortuné Debry is enclosed. Jean Debry (1760-1834) was an influential politician of the French Revolution. In September 1791, he was elected deputy for Aisne at the National Legislative Assembly, where he sat on the left benches. He voted in favor of the impeachment of Bertrand de Molleville, Minister of the Navy, and the Marquis de La Fayette. In September 1792, he was re-elected deputy for Aisne to the National Convention, where he held a number of leading positions. He was elected Secretary of the Convention under the presidency of Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles, then President of the National Convention in March 1793. During the trial of Louis XVI, he voted for the King's death, rejecting the appeal to the people and the stay of execution. In April 1793, he was elected member of the Comité de Salut Public, but was replaced for health reasons. He signed a letter of protest against the days of May 31 and June 2, 1793, but was not subsequently arrested. Jean Debry took part in the Thermidorian reaction and was elected a member of the Committee of General Safety in August 1794, although he immediately resigned due to opposition from Joseph Fayau. In December 1794, he was sent on a mission to several départements, and in July 1795 he was elected member of the Comité de Salut Public. Under the Directoire, he was re-elected deputy for Aisne to the Conseil des Cinq-Cents, becoming its president in December 1796. In May 1798, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary at the Second Congress of Rastatt, where he was wounded during an attack by Hungarian troops. In May 1799, he was again elected President of the Conseil des Cinq-Cents. During the Consulate and First Empire, Jean Debry supported the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire, which brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power. In December 1799, he was appointed member of the Tribunate, and in April 1801, he became Prefect of Doubs. He was elevated to the rank of chevalier, then baron d'Empire in 1808 and 1809. However, he was dismissed as prefect during the first Restoration in 1814. During the Hundred Days, he was appointed Prefect of Bas-Rhin, but during the Second Restoration, he was struck down by the law of January 12, 1816 for having voted for the death of Louis XVI and supported the return of Napoleon I. He then went into exile in Belgium. He and his family went into exile in Belgium. Jean Debry returned to France in 1830 during the Trois-Glorieuses revolution, which brought Louis-Philippe I to the throne. He died in Paris in 1834 and is buried in the 39th division of the Père-Lachaise cemetery.