Philippe Jacques Rühl was a German-French statesman during the French Revolution, best remembered as the doyen d'âge of the opening session of the Convention of 1792–1795.
Biography
Born in Strasbourg, a son of a Lutheran minister. He studied theology at the University of Strasbourg. He later served as director of gymnasium at Durckheim, Germany, then as a tutor at the princely court of Leiningen-Dachsburg. As court counselor, he participated in settling succession dispute with the Italian branch of the family.
With the advent of French Revolution, he returned to his native Alsace, where he became an administrator of the Département of Bas-Rhin under the new regime created by the National Assembly He was elected as a representative of Bas-Rhin to the Legislative Assembly. He sat with the extreme left wing of the deputies and served as a deputy member of the Extraordinary Commission of Twelve. Elected to the Convention as a deputy for Bas-Rhin, he presided at the first session of the Convention as the oldest deputy present. He continued to ally himself with the more radical section of deputies, joining the Montagnard faction. However, he was absent from the Convention during the trial of King Louis XVI. He would go on to serve a full term as President of the Convention from 6 March 1794 until 21 March 1794. Rühl served as a member of the Committee of General Security. He was dispatched as Representative on a Mission to departments of Marne and Haute-Marne to assist in arranging the levée en masse. While on this mission he showed his revolutionary zeal by breaking the so-called Holy Ampulla – the Holy Ampulla had been a vessel containing the sacred oil for anointment of the French kings at Reims. He served in a second mission to Bas-Rhin for organizing the district of Neu-Saarwerden. Along with Robert Lindet of the Committee of Public Safety, he refused to sign the death warrant of Georges Danton in the spring of 1794.
Thermidor
Rühl was designated for yet another mission, this time to Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin, 24 July 1794, but did not depart until 1 August 1794, and so he was in Paris to witness the fall of Robespierre. He returned 25 August 1794. He participated in the Revolt of 1 Prairial Year III, addressing the insurgents with the words "Du pain et la Constitution de 1793!". This action threatened the new conservative order, and he was threatened with indictment, but in the end was sentenced only to house arrest "in view of his advanced age". He was called before the military commission and committed suicide by stabbing himself with a dagger, a precursor of the "Martyrs of Prairial".
