Conrad-Alexandre Gérard

Conrad-Alexandre Gérard (1729–1790) came from Masevaux in Alsace, studied law at Strasbourg, and entered diplomatic service in 1753. Posts at Mannheim and Vienna preceded his appointment as a senior clerk in the French foreign ministry. Working under Vergennes, he took part in the negotiations with the American commissioners and signed the treaties of alliance and commerce with Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee on 6 February 1778. ¹

Sent to America as France's representative, Gérard received a formal public audience from Congress on 6 August 1778. A contemporary newspaper described Richard Henry Lee and Samuel Adams escorting him to the State House, the reading of his credentials, and the exchange of speeches with the president of Congress. Louis XVI's letter emphasized that the same man who had negotiated the alliance would now reside among the Americans to maintain it. ²

The alliance involved frequent disagreement over priorities and procedure. In March 1779 Gérard pressed Congress to give its peace negotiators ample instructions and powers, warning that delay encouraged reports of American division and weakened the common position. His correspondence about Admiral d'Estaing's possible intervention in Georgia also complained that Congress had failed to tell him what it had decided after requesting his assistance. ³

He acted as an intermediary for the Spanish agent Juan de Miralles when American privateers captured Spanish ships. In May 1779 he urged congressional intervention before Massachusetts proceedings led to the sale of the vessels and cargoes. Congress promised attention to neutral rights and possible compensation, but replied that it could not simply interrupt the ordinary courts. ³

Ill health brought Gérard's American mission to an end. In 1781 he became a councillor of state and royal praetor of Strasbourg, where his responsibilities included preserving the city's institutions and supporting its university. He later attended the Assembly of Notables. Illness again forced him to take leave in 1789; he left Alsace and died in Paris the following year. ¹