Marcel Chevalier
Marcel Chevalier | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) Chevalier’s grave | |
| Born | 28 February 1921 |
| Died | 8 October 2008 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | executioner |
| Years active | 1958–1981 |
| Title | Monsieur de Paris |
| Predecessor | André Obrecht |
Marcel Chevalier (28 February 1921 – 8 October 2008) was the last chief executioner (Monsieur de Paris) of France.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Chevalier was born in Montrouge, Seine on 28 February 1921.[1]
At the age of 13, Chevalier began working in printing. A talented printer, he was a recipient of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France.[1]
Career
[edit]Chevalier’s wife was the niece of chief executioner André Obrecht. Obrecht had no children of his own and chose Chevalier as his successor.[1]
Chevalier was officially named an executioner on 1 October 1958 and became Obrecht’s assistant on 4 November of that year. Obrecht retired in 1976 and Chevalier succeeded him to the position of chief executioner.[3] He held this position until 1981, when capital punishment was abolished under president François Mitterrand and justice minister Robert Badinter.[4][5] The method of application of the death penalty for civilian capital offences in France from 1791 to 1981 was beheading with the guillotine. Military executions were by firing squad.[6]
Chevalier performed or assisted with 42 executions after starting his career in 1958.[1][7] After his appointment as chief executioner on 1 October 1976, he executed only two people. They were the last two executions in France:[1]
- Jérôme Carrein, condemned twice for the murder and rape of an eight-year-old girl, was guillotined on 23 June 1977 in Douai.[8]
- Hamida Djandoubi, for having tortured and strangled his former nurse, was guillotined on 10 September 1977 in Marseille.[9][10]
Retirement and death
[edit]Chevalier officially retired on October 10, 1981. Being an executioner brought him about 1,000 euros a month, and he had continued to work as a printer during his tenure as chief executioner.[7] Chevalier returned to this career full time after retirement.[1][11]
Chevalier was interviewed by the press on a number of occasions, but later, disillusioned by the sensationalist nature of press coverage, chose to say nothing of his experiences with the guillotine.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
[edit]Chevalier married his wife Marcelle (née Obrecht) on 12 June 1948. They had two children, Dominique and Éric.[1] Éric was present at Carrein's and Djandoubi's executions in order to prepare him for succession to chief executioner upon his father's eventual retirement.[1][11]
Chevalier died on 8 October 2008 in Vendôme, Centre-Val de Loire.[12]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Chevalier, Marcel". guillotine.voila.net. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Clarke, P.; Hardy, L.; Williams, A. (2008). Executioners. Book Sales. pp. 374–380. ISBN 978-0-7088-0366-0. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ↑ Obrecht, André (1989). Le carnet noir du bourreau Les mémoires d'André Obrecht qui exécuta 322 condamnés (in French). Editions Gérard de Villiers.
- ↑ Clarke 2008
- ↑ Poisuo, Pauli (11 September 2020). "This Was The Last Time A Guillotine Was Used In France". Grunge. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "L'application de la peine de mort en France avant 1981 – L'abolition de la peine de mort en France – Dossiers – La Documentation française" (in French). Ladocumentationfrancaise.fr. 8 October 2001. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- 1 2 Bourreau, Marc (8 October 2021). "Marcel Chevalier, dernier bourreau de France". Radio Classique (in French). Archived from the original on 7 December 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ "ExecutedToday.com » 1977: Jerome Carrein, the second-last in France". Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ↑ Long, Tony. "Sept. 10, 1977: Heads Roll for the Last Time in France". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ↑ "Off With Their Heads: The History of the Guillotine". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- 1 2 Long, Tony (10 September 2007). "Sept. 10, 1977: Heads Roll for the Last Time in France". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 18 September 2026.
- ↑ Gerould, D.C. (1992). Guillotine, Its Legend and Lore. Blast Books. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-922233-02-1. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
The job of executioner had become part-time. Henri Desfourneaux's two assistants also worked as a butcher and a hairdresser — fitting sidelines to their decapitating functions. The last guillotine operator, Marcel Chevalier, incumbent from ...
External links
[edit]- Biography (archived) (in French)
- A personal account of France’s last execution (translated from French)