Jean-Nicolas Topsent

Jean-Nicolas Topsent was a French naval officer and politician.

Life

He was son of Jean-Baptiste Topsent and Anne Le Cerf, both of whose families had previously produced naval officers. Topsent was a surname of Danish origin.
He was a lieutenant de vaisseau in Chesapeake Bay during the American Revolutionary War, then a deputy to the National Convention and the Council of Ancients. He accompanied admiral amiral Villaret-Joyeuse at the Battle of Groix. He and Lazare Hoche both took part in the efforts to counter the 1795 émigré landing in Quiberon. As a capitaine de vaisseau he took part in the Saint-Domingue expedition before Napoleon put him in command of the squadron carrying Claude-Victor Perrin's force to Louisiana.
During his time as a deputy, illness kept him away from the votes on the death of Louis XVI but he took a major part in reorganising the navy. He supported the methods applied by Jeanbon Saint-André and continued his career during the French Directory.
He died at Quillebeuf-sur-Seine. He was mentioned in the chapter on the Convention in Victor Hugo's Quatrevingt-treize.