Jean-Nicolas Topsent

Jean-Nicolas Topsent (12 June 1755 - 18 August 1816) was a French naval officer and politician.

Life

He was son of Jean-Baptiste Topsent and Anne Le Cerf, both of whose families had previously produced naval officers. Topsent was a surname of Danish origin.

He was a lieutenant de vaisseau in Chesapeake Bay during the American Revolutionary War, then a deputy to the National Convention[1] and the Council of Ancients. He accompanied admiral amiral Villaret-Joyeuse at the Battle of Groix. He and Lazare Hoche both took part in the efforts to counter the 1795 émigré landing in Quiberon. As a capitaine de vaisseau he took part in the Saint-Domingue expedition before Napoleon (then First Consul) put him in command of the squadron carrying Claude-Victor Perrin's force to Louisiana.[2]

During his time as a deputy, illness kept him away from the votes on the death of Louis XVI but he took a major part in reorganising the navy.[3] He supported the methods applied by Jeanbon Saint-André and continued his career during the French Directory.

He died at Quillebeuf-sur-Seine.[4] He was mentioned in the chapter on the Convention in Victor Hugo's Quatrevingt-treize.[5]

References

  1. ^ (in French) Sycomore entry
  2. ^ (in French) Napoléon Bonaparte. "Correspondance de Napoléon - Décembre 1802 - Saint-Cloud, 19 décembre 1802 - Au contre-amiral Decrès, ministre de la marine et des colonies". Histoire-empire.org. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  3. ^ (in French) Rapport et projet de décret sur le mode d'épurement de la marine civile et militaire, présentés, au nom du Comité de marine, à la Convention nationale ; Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas Topsent; Paris : De l'Imprimerie nationale, 1795. OCLC 32793150
  4. ^ (in French) Capitaines de vaisseau en activité de service à la proclamation du Consulat ou nommés à ce grade par Napoléon
  5. ^ (in French) The relevant passage on wikisource.

Bibliography

  • (in French) « Jean-Nicolas Topsent », in Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny, Dictionnaire des parlementaires français, Edgar Bourloton, 1889–1891
  • (in French) Claude Duchemin, Un Viking à la Convention - Chroniques du capitaine de vaisseau JN TOPSENT, éditions SPM, ISBN 978-2-901952-58-9
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