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Jacques Rene Hebert

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JACQUES RENE HEBERT (1757-1794), French Revolutionist, called "Pere Duchesne," from the newspaper he edited, was born at Alençon, on the 15th of November 1757, where his father, who kept a goldsmith's shop, had held some municipal office. His family was ruined, however, by a lawsuit while he was still young, and Hebert came to Paris, where in his struggle against poverty he endured great hardships; the accusations of theft directed against him later by Camille Desmoulins were, however, without foundation. In 1790 he attracted attention by some pamphlets, and became a prominent member 'of the club of the Cordeliers in 1791. On the 10th of August 1792 he was a member of the revolutionary Commune of Paris, and became second substitute of the procureur of the Commune on the 2nd of December 1792. His violent attacks on the Girondists led to his arrest on the 24th of May 1793, but he was released owing to the threatening attitude of the mob. Henceforth very popular, Hebert organized with P. G. Chaumette (q.v.) the "worship of Reason," in opposition to the theistic cult inaugurated by Robespierre, against whom he tried to excite a popular movement. The failure of this brought about the arrest of the Hebertists, or enrages, as his partisans were called. Hebert was guillotined on the 24th of March 1794. His wife, who had been a nun, was executed twenty days later. Hebert's influence was mainly due to his articles in his journal Le Pere Duchesne, which appeared from 1790 to 1794. These articles, while not lacking in a certain cleverness, were violent and abusive, and purposely couched in foul language in order to appeal to the mob.

See Louis Duval, "Hebert chez lui," in La Revolution Francaise, revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine, t. xii. and t. xiii.; D. Mater, J. R. Hebert, l'auteur du Pere Duchesne avant la journee du ro aoat 1792 (Bourges, Comm. Hist. du Cher, 1888); F. A. Aulard, Le Culte de la raison et de l'etre supreme (Paris, 1892).