French diplomat and government minister
Joseph-Mathias Gerard de Rayneval
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Born
| 24 February 1736
Masevaux, Haut-Rhin, France
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Died
| 31 December 1812 (aged 76)
Paris, France
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Nationality
| French
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Occupation(s)
| Diplomat, Government Minister
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Office
| Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade
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Spouse
| Sophie Gaucherel (m. 1776)
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Children
|
- Adelaide Gerard de Rayneval (1777-1860)
- Maximilien Gerard de Rayneval (1778-1836), Baron
- Alexandrine-Sophie Gerard de Rayneval (1780-1823)
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Parent(s)
| Claude Gerard, Marie-Francoise Wetzel
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Relatives
| Conrad-Alexandre Gerard, comte de Munster (brother)
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Awards
| Royal Order of Charles III
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Royal Order of Charles III insignia
Joseph-Mathias Gerard de Rayneval
(24 February 1736,
Masevaux
,
Haut-Rhin
? 31 December 1812,
Paris
), was a French
diplomat
and
government minister
of the
Ancien Regime
.
Career
[
edit
]
Gerard de Rayneval served under the
Bourbon
Foreign Minister,
Charles Gravier de Vergennes
, as
Under-Secretary of State
for
Foreign Affairs and Trade
.
In 1776, he produced a memo on
France
's strategic and diplomatic interests entitled
Reflections on the Situation in America
.
[1]
In 1782, he was sent on a secret mission to
London
to make peace feelers and later undertook official diplomatic visits that led to the
Eden Agreement
.
John Jay
, a
Founding Father of the United States
, upon learning of the trips suspected French duplicity, leading him to begin separate negotiations with the
British
. He wrote about his negotiations with Jay over the
Mississippi
:
If by the future treaty of peace, Spain preserves West Florida, she alone will be the sole proprietor of the course of the Mississippi from the thirty-first degree of latitude to the mouth of this river. Whatever may be the case with that part which is beyond this point to the north, the United States of America can have no pretentions to it, not being masters of either border to this river.
[2]
On 30 November, preliminary articles of peace were signed but it took a year, until 3 September 1783, for the
Paris Peace Treaty
to be signed.
[3]
Chevalier Gerard de Rayneval was appointed to the
Royal Order of Charles III
and served in
King Louis XVI
's
Conseil d'Etat
.
Family
[
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]
He was the fourth son of Claude Gerard, of
Masmunster
in
Alsace
, by his wife Marie-Francoise Wetzel.
In Paris on 8 August 1776, he married Sophie Gaucherel and had by her three children:
His eldest brother was
Conrad-Alexandre Gerard, comte de Munster
.
See also
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]
References
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External links
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External links
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