Desmoulins, Camille 1760-94
French revolutionary and journalist

Born in Guise, he studied law as a fellow-student of Robespierre at the Coll�ge Louis le Grand in Paris. He wrote on classical republicanism in his pamphlets, La Philosophie du peuple fran�ais (1788) and La France libre (1789), and took part in the destruction of the Bastille. His Discours de la Lanterne aux Parisiens (1789, 'The Streetlamp's Address to the Parisians') earned him the sinister title of 'Procureur-g�n�ral de la Lanterne'. In November 1789 he began the witty, sarcastic R�volutions de France et de Brabant which appeared weekly until July 1792. Desmoulins had been a member of the Cordeliers' Club from its foundation, and was close to Danton. Elected by Paris to the National Convention, he voted for the death of the king. In the struggle between the Girondins and Danton he took an active part, but in late 1793 he brought out the Vieux cordelier, an eloquent expression of his and Danton's longing for clemency. Robespierre took fright at its reception, and soon became actively hostile. On 30 March 1794, Desmoulins was arrested with Danton; on 5 April he was guillotined. A fortnight later his wife, Lucile Duplessis (1771-1794), was also executed.