Edmond-Charles Genêt

Edmond-Charles Genêt was born at Versailles in 1763. He succeeded his father as a translator and interpreter in 1781 and later served at the embassy in Saint Petersburg. His enthusiasm for the French Revolution brought him into conflict with Catherine II, who demanded his recall in 1792. The Girondin government then selected him for the American mission. ¹

Arriving at Charleston in April 1793 as 'Citizen Genêt,' he began issuing privateering commissions before reaching the capital at Philadelphia. His instructions sought American assistance for France’s Caribbean position, advance repayment of American debts, and a new commercial agreement. The privateers, however, collided with Washington’s policy of neutrality in the war between Revolutionary France and Britain. ²

Genêt continued fitting out the Little Democrat after American objections and threatened to appeal directly to the American public. Washington’s cabinet unanimously supported seeking his recall. The dispute forced the administration to clarify the limits it would place on foreign military activity from American territory, contributing to neutrality rules adopted in August 1793 and legislation passed in June 1794. ²

Meanwhile, the Jacobins replaced Genêt’s Girondin patrons and ordered him home. Washington and Edmund Randolph allowed him to remain in America rather than face likely execution in France. He married Cornelia Clinton, daughter of New York governor George Clinton, in 1794; after her death he married Martha Osgood in 1818. ^{2, 1}

At Prospect Hill, near Albany, Genêt farmed and wrote about agriculture and politics. His papers also document interests in lumber, bridges, and canals, including a proposal concerning the Erie Canal’s Albany basin and petitions for the Hudson Ship Canal Company. He died in 1834. ¹