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Isaac Le Chapelier

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ISAAC Rene Guy LE CHAPELIER (1754-1794), French politician, was born at Rennes on the 12th of June 1754, his father being bdtonnier of the corporation of lawyers in that town. He entered his father's profession, and had some success as an orator. In 1789 he was elected as a deputy to the States General by the Tiers-Etat of the senechaussee of Rennes. He adopted advanced opinions, and was one of the founders of the Breton Club (see Jacobin Club); his influence in the Constituent Assembly was considerable, and on the 3rd of August 1789 he was elected its president. Thus he presided over the Assembly XVI. 12 during the important period following the 4th of August; he took an active part in the debates, and was a leading member of the committee which drew up the new constitution; he further presented a report on the liberty of theatres and on literary copyright. He was also conspicuous as opposing Robespierre when he proposed that members of the Constituent Assembly should not be eligible for election to the proposed new Assembly. After the flight of the king to Varennes (20th of June 1792), his opinions became more moderate, and on the 29th of September he brought forward a motion to restrict the action of the clubs. This, together with a visit which he paid to England in 1792 made him suspect, and he was denounced on his return for conspiring with foreign nations. He went into hiding, but was discovered in consequence of a pamphlet which he published to defend himself, arrested and condemned to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. He was executed at Paris on the 2 2nd of April 1794.

See A. Aulard, Les Orateurs de la constituante (2nd ed., Paris, 1905); R. Kerviler, Recherches et notices sur les deputes de la Bretagne aux etats generaux (2 vols., Rennes, 1888-1889); P. J. Levot, Biographie bretonne (2 vols., 1853-1857).