(Also known as: Père Duchesne, a nickname derived from his newspaper's name)
French revolutionary. Born 1755, died 1794.
When the French Revolution broke out, Hébert quickly rose to prominence among the Jacobins, and became the editor of La Père Duchesne1, a newspaper established to sabotage a constitutional newspaper with the same title.
Joining the revolutionary council, Hébert played a significant part in the massacres in September 1792. Appointed a member on the commission that examined Marie Antoinette, he hysterically denounced her of incest with the Dauphin, but the revolutionary tribunal deemed his "evidence" too embarassingly spurious to use.
An opponent of Robespierre's theistic cult of the Supreme Being, Hébert founded his own "cult", the Worship of Reason2 - a move that cemented the growing hostility between himself and Robespierre. When Hébert attempted to incite a popular movement against Robespierre and the montagnard leaders, Robespierre and Danton united to purge him.
On March 24, 1794, Hébert and 18 of his associates were condemned and guillotined, on charges of having conspired to massacre the Convention.
Note(s):
1 La Père Duchesne was originally a stock character of the Théâtre de la Foire.
2 The Worshippers of Reason converted Notre-Dame de Paris into the Temple de la Raison ("Temple of Reason" - see Temple).