Factfile
Born Paris 1726, died Paris 1806.
Succeeded Gerbier as President of the Ordre des avocats (Order of Lawyers)
1789 President of the Comité de constitution at the Assemblée
December 1792 and January 1793 defended Louis XVI at his trial (with Malesherbes and Desèze)
1793 pursued by the Comité de Sûreté Générale (Committee of General Security) after the execution of Louis XVI, Tronchet went into hiding
1800 first President of the Cour de Cassation after the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire
1800 (4 Thermidor, An VIII), called to the Commission of four jurists appointed to draw up a Code civil
1800-1804 seat on the Conseil des Anciens, active in legal matters
1801 made Senator
1803 given the Sénatorie of Amiens
1804 appointed Commander of the Légion d'honneur
Born into a family of barristers, Tronchet spent more time however as a backroom lawyer, setting his formidable analytical talents against a weak voice. In the pre-Revolutionary period, he spent many years in study rather than in legal practice. His distinguished legal career led to his being buried at the Pantheon.