List of presidents of the National Assembly of France


This article lists Presidents of the French Parliament or, as the case may be, of its lower chamber.
The National Constituent Assembly was created in 1789 out of the Estates-General. It, and the revolutionary legislative assemblies that followed – the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention, had a quickly rotating Presidency. With the establishment of the Directory in 1795, there were two chambers of the French legislature. The lower, the Council of Five Hundred, also had a quickly rotating chairmanship. Under Napoleon I, the Legislative Corps had all authority to actually enact laws, but was essentially a rubberstamp body, lacking the power to debate legislation. With the restoration of the monarchy, a bicameral system was restored, with a Chamber of Peers and a Chamber of Deputies. The Chamber of Deputies, for the first time, had presidents elected for a substantial period of time.
With the revolution of 1848, the monarchical assemblies were dissolved and replaced again with a unicameral National Assembly, which Napoleon III replaced with a new version of his uncle's Legislative Corps. With the establishment of the Third Republic, the name of Chamber of Deputies was restored; after 1876 it was joined by a Senate as upper house. The Chamber of Deputies was renamed the National Assembly in the constitution of the Fourth Republic, and is still known as that.

Presidents of the National Constituent Assembly (1789–1791)

Presidents of the National Constituent Assembly rotated in short periods.

Presidents of the Legislative Assembly (1791–1792)

Presidents of the Legislative Assembly rotated in short periods.
L'Assemblée Nationale Legislative

Presidents of the National Convention (1792–1795)

Bold indicates second term as President.
CoPS refers to Committee of Public Safety
CoGS refers to Committee of General Security
PresidentBeganEndedNotes
Philippe Rühl20 September 179220 September 1792Served briefly at opening of first session as Dean.
Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve20 September 17924 October 1792Girondist: Committed suicide while in hiding June 1794.
Jean-François Delacroix4 October 179218 October 1792Executed with Danton, 5 April 1794.
Marguerite-Élie Guadet18 October 17921 November 1792Girondist: Executed 17 June 1794.
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles1 November 179215 November 1792Executed with Danton, 5 April 1794.
Member of CoPS.
Henri Grégoire15 November 179229 November 1792Constitutional Bishop of Blois.
Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac29 November 179213 December 1792Member of CoPS.
Jacques Defermon des Chapelieres15 December 179227 December 1792a Girondist who survived in hiding.
Jean-Baptiste Treilhard27 December 179210 January 1793Member of CoPS,, and.
Pierre-Victurnien Vergniaud10 January 179324 January 1793Girondist: Executed 31 October 1793.
Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Étienne24 January 17937 February 1793Girondist: Executed 5 December 1793.
Jean-Jacques Bréard7 February 179321 February 1793Member of CoPS,,.
Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé21 February 17937 March 1793
Armand Gensonné7 March 179321 March 1793Girondist: Executed 31 October 1793.
Jean Debry21 March 17934 April 1793Later served as member of CoGS.
Jean-François-Bertrand Delmas4 April 179318 April 1793Member of CoPS,.
Marc David Alba Lasource18 April 17932 May 1793Girondist: Executed 31 October 1793.
Jean-Baptiste Boyer-Fonfrède2 May 179316 May 1793Girondist: Executed 31 October 1793.
Maximin Isnard16 May 179330 May 1793Member of CoGS.
Girondist who survived in hiding.
François René Auguste Mallarmé30 May 179313 June 1793
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois13 June 179327 June 1793Member of CoPS.
Jacques-Alexis Thuriot de la Rosière27 June 179311 July 1793Member of CoPS,.
Jean Bon Saint-André11 July 179325 July 1793Member of CoPS.
Georges Danton25 July 17938 August 1793Executed 5 April 1794.
Marie-Jean Hérault de Séchelles8 August 179322 August 1793See above.
Maximilien Robespierre22 August 17935 September 1793Executed 28 July 1794.
Member of CoPS.
Jacques Nicolas Billaud-Varenne5 September 179319 September 1793Member of CoPS.
Joseph Cambon19 September 17933 October 1793Member of Finance Committee, created Great Book of the Public Debt.
Louis-Joseph Charlier3 October 179322 October 1793
Moyse Bayle22 October 17936 November 1793
Pierre Antoine Laloy6 November 179321 November 1793
Gilbert Romme21 November 17936 December 1793Committed suicide after failed Prairial Insurrection of Year III.
Jean-Henri Voulland6 December 179321 December 1793Member of CoGS.
Georges Couthon21 December 17935 January 1794Executed with Robespierre.
Member of CoPS.
Jacques-Louis David5 January 179420 January 1794Famous painter.
Member of CoGS.
Marc-Guillaume-Alexis Vadier20 January 17944 February 1794Member of CoGS.
Joseph-Nicolas Barbeau du Barran4 February 179419 February 1794Known as Dubarran.
Louis Saint-Just19 February 17946 March 1794Executed with Robespierre
A member of CoPS.
Philippe Rühl6 March 179421 March 1794Member of CoGS.
Jean-Lambert Tallien21 March 17945 April 1794
Jean-Pierre-André Amar5 April 179420 April 1794Member of CoGS.
Jean-Baptiste-Robert Lindet20 April 17945 May 1794Member of CoPS,.
Lazare Carnot5 May 179420 May 1794Member of CoPS.
Director of France
Claude-Antoine Prieur de la Côte d'Or20 May 17944 June 1794Member of CoPS.
Maximilien Robespierre4 June 179419 June 1794Presided over Festival of the Supreme Being in this term.
Élie Lacoste19 June 17945 July 1794
Jean-Antoine Louis du Bas-Rhin5 July 179419 July 1794Member of CoGS.
Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois19 July 17943 August 1794See above.
Philippe-Antoine Merlin de Douai3 August 179418 August 1794Member of CoPS,,.
Director of France.
Antoine-Christophe Merlin de Thionville18 August 17942 September 1794
André Antoine Bernard de Saintes2 September 179422 September 1794
André Dumont22 September 17947 October 1794
Jean Jacques Régis Cambacérès7 October 179422 October 1794Napoleon's Second Consul.
Pierre Louis Prieur de la Marne22 October 17946 November 1794Member of CoPS, .
Louis Legendre6 November 179424 November 1794
Jean-Baptiste Clauzel24 November 17946 December 1794
Jean-François Reubell6 December 179421 December 1794Director of France.
Pierre-Louis Bentabole21 December 17946 January 1795
Étienne-François Le Tourneur de la Manche6 January 179520 January 1795Director of France.
Joseph-Stanislas Rovère de Fontvielle20 January 17954 February 1795
Paul Barras4 February 179519 February 1795Director of France.
Francois Louis Bourdon de l'Oise19 February 17956 March 1795
Antoine Claire Thibaudeau6 March 179524 March 1795
Jean Pelet de la Lozère24 March 17955 April 1795Protestant leader.
François Antoine de Boissy d'Anglas5 April 179520 April 1795Member of CoPS.
Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès20 April 17955 May 1795Director of France.
Arranged coup of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon's Second Consul.
Théodore Vernier5 May 179526 May 1795
Jean-Baptiste Charles Matthieu26 May 17954 June 1795
Jean-Denis Lanjuinais4 June 179519 June 1795
Jean-Baptiste Louvet de Couvrai19 June 17954 July 1795
Louis Gustave le Doulcet4 July 179519 July 1795Girondist survivor.
Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux19 July 17953 August 1795Director of France.
Pierre Claude François Daunou3 August 179519 August 1795Girondist survivor.
Joseph Chénier19 August 17952 September 1795
Théophile Berlier2 September 179523 September 1795
Pierre-Charles-Louis Baudin23 September 17958 October 1795
Jean Joseph Victor Génissieu8 October 179526 October 1795Minister of Justice and Lord Chancellor of France 5 January - 4 April 1796.

Presidents of the Council of Five Hundred (1795–1799)

Le Conseil des Cinq-Cents

Presidents of the Legislative Corps (1800–1814)

President of the Chamber of Départements' Deputies (1814–1815)

President of the Chamber of Representatives (4 June – 13 July 1815)

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of the Departments (1815–1830)

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (1830–1848)

Presidents of the National Constituent Assembly (1848–1849)

President of the National Legislative Assembly (1849–1852)

Presidents of the Legislative Corps (1852–1870)

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (1871–1940)

President of the Consultative Assembly (1943–1945)

Presidents of the Constituent National Assembly (1945–1946)

Presidents of the National Assembly, Fourth Republic (1946–1958)

Presidents of the National Assembly, Fifth Republic (1958–present)