Benjamin Raspail
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Raspail was a painter-engraver and politician of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...

.

He was the son of François-Vincent Raspail
François-Vincent Raspail
François-Vincent Raspail was a French chemist, naturalist, physiologist, and socialist politician.-Biography:...

. Like his father, he was classed extreme-left, and was also exiled to Belgium.

In 1874, following the death of Eugène Lavenant, Raspail took over as Mayor of Arcueil
Arcueil
Arcueil is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as Arcoloï, and later in the 12th century as Arcoïalum, meaning "place of the arches" , in...

 as «premier conseiller inscrit au tableau». He was also a member of the conseil général
General councils (France)
The General councils are assemblies of the French departments. They are elected by universal suffrage.-List of the Presidents of the General councils:-External links:*...

 for Seine
Seine (département)
Seine was a département of France encompassing Paris and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968 and its territory divided among four new départements....

.

As member of the council for Seine for the republican left, Raspail proposed the law, on 21 May 1880, which made 14 July a national holiday
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...

 in commemoration of the storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris. While the prison only contained seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint...

 and the Fête de la Fédération
Fête de la Fédération
The Fête de la Fédération of the 14 July 1790 was a huge feast and official event to celebrate the establishment of the short-lived constitutional monarchy in France and what people of the time considered to be the happy conclusion of the French Revolution the outcome hoped for by the...

. The bill was signed by 64 members, and was adopted by the Assemblée Nationale on 8 June and by the Sénat on 29 June. The bill was promulgated
Promulgation
Promulgation is the act of formally proclaiming or declaring a new statutory or administrative law after its enactment. In some jurisdictions this additional step is necessary before the law can take effect....

 on 6 July 1880. He also proposed the law to seize the crown jewels
French Crown Jewels
The French Crown Jewels were the crowns, orb, sceptres, diadems and jewels that were the symbol of royalty and which were worn by many Kings and Queens of France. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by the Third French Republic...

 from the monarchy, which was passed on 11 January 1887.

His lost a leg, which had to be amputated following a chase in Épinay
Épinay
Épinay is the name or part of the name of ten communes of France:*Épinay, Eure in the Eure département*Épinay-Champlâtreux in the Val-d'Oise département*Épinay-sous-Sénart in the Essonne département...

 by a stone-throwing mob.

Upon his death, he bequeathed his estate in Cachan
Cachan
Cachan is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The prestigious École Normale Supérieure de Cachan is located there.-Name:...

to become a retirement home for people with work-related disabilities, and also a museum which would house his father's political documents, his personal collection of paintings, which included his own.

External links

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