| Jean Espariat | |
| Birth Name: | 17 September 1747 |
| Birth Place: | Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Death Place: | Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Nationality: | French |
| Occupation: | Lawyer Politician |
Jean Espariat was a French lawyer and politician. He served as the first Mayor of Aix-en-Provence in 1790, and again as the third Mayor from 1791 to 1792. Additionally, he helped create the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1791 to 1792.
Jean Espariat was born on 17 September 1747 in Aix-en-Provence. His father, Charles Espariat, was a silversmith and later a lawyer in the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence.
After the Ancien Régime came to an end and the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence was dismantled by the French Revolution, Espariat was elected as first Mayor of Aix-en-Provence on 10 February 1790.[1] However, the early days were still chaotic.[2] He was a moderate.[3] Indeed, on the Cours Saint-Louis in Aix, he stopped the Vexin regiment, a pro-revolutionary regiment, and the Royal Marine regiment, a pro-aristocratic regiment, from killing each other.[4] [5]
He stepped down on 11 November 1790 and let the Vice Mayor, Toussaint-Bernard Émeric-David, serve as Mayor. During that time, lawyer (1732-1790), a royalist, was killed during the . Meanwhile, together with Antoine Balthazar Joachim, baron d'André (1759 -1825) and an abbey from Quinson, he helped establish the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly from September 1791 to 1792, when he condemned the revolutionary crimes in Avignon. He also returned as Mayor of Aix on 1 September 1791 until 20 September 1792. He was jailed during the Reign of Terror of 1793–1794.[5] During the French Directory of 1795 to 1799, he served as an administrator of the department of the Bouches-du-Rhône he had helped create. During the French Consulate of 1799–1804, he served as a magistrate in the Criminal Court of the Bouches-du-Rhône.
He received the Knighthood of the Legion of Honour for his public service.
He died on 14 January 1827 in Aix-en-Provence.