Danton, Georges

Danton, Georges ( Jacques Danton ) ( 1759 – 94 )
French revolutionary. A noted orator, he won great popularity in the early days of the French Revolution. He served as Minister of Justice ( 1792 – 94 ) in the new republic and was a founder member of the governing body, the Committee of Public Safety ( 1793 ). Initially an ally of Robespierre and the Jacobins, he later revolted against their radicalism and the severity of the Revolutionary Tribunal, only to be arrested and executed on Robespierre's orders.