Pierre Bénézech, (born in Montpeyroux April 8, 1749, died at

Cap Français A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

on June 13, 1802) was a French politician.

Biography

Before the Revolution, he was the owner of the :fr:Petites Affiches, a law gazette. At the same time, he fulfilled the functions of principal resident agent of the

Estates of Languedoc The Estates of Languedoc was the provincial assembly for the province of Languedoc during the ancien regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior ...

in Paris. He also managed the fortune of his wife, who was the widow of Baron Claude Théophile de Boeil. When the French Revolution broke out, Bénézech espoused its principles and became commander of the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

and then administrator of the department of

Seine-et-Oise Seine-et-Oise () is a former department of France, which encompassed the western, northern and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its prefecture was Versailles and its administrative number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was disbanded in ...

. In 1794 he was called by the

Committee of Public Safety The Committee of Public Safety () was a committee of the National Convention which formed the provisional government and war cabinet during the Reign of Terror, a violent phase of the French Revolution. Supplementing the Committee of General D ...

to chair the eleventh commission on weapons, powder and mining. He launched a major campaign for the extraction of

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate ...

, he activated the work of the mines, centralising the arms industry, and creating a munitions factory in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. On November 3, 1795, he was appointed Minister of the Interior under the Directory. In the management of this ministry, he showed organizational talents and great activity. He created councils for agriculture, commerce and the arts, reformed the

École polytechnique (, ; also known as Polytechnique or l'X ) is a ''grande école'' located in Palaiseau, France. It specializes in science and engineering and is a founding member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris. The school was founded in 1794 by mat ...

and the education system and promoted the fine arts, particularly favouring the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

over other institutions. He found himself compromised in the Grenelle camp conspiracy, although he was able to prove his innocence. His friendships with some of the most prominent deputies of the

Club de Clichy The Clichy Club () was a Political faction, political group active during the French Revolution from 1794 to 1797. History During the French Revolution, the Clichy Club formed in 1794 following the fall of Maximilien Robespierre, 9 Thermidor an ...

prompted the Directory, on July 14, 1797, to replace him at the Ministry of the Interior with Nicolas François de Neufchâteau. Following the

coup of 18 Brumaire The Coup of 18 Brumaire () brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of the French First Republic. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the Fr ...

, which he supported, he entered the

Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establ ...

established by the

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

but did not play any significant role there.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

entrusted him with the inspection of the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...

and made him a sort of master of ceremonies and maître d'hôtel of the place. Uncomfortable in these functions, he asked the First Consul for permission to accompany, as colonial prefect, General Leclerc, who commanded the expedition against Saint-Domingue. Having left with his family, in the hope of asserting the rights he held from his father-in-law over large properties located in this colony, he died there in 1802, shortly after his arrival, of yellow fever.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benezech, Pierre 1749 births People from Hérault 1802 deaths French interior ministers Conseil d'État (France) People of the French Revolution People of the Haitian Revolution Deaths from yellow fever Members of the Council of Five Hundred