Garat, Dominique Joseph

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Dominique Joseph Garat (dōmēnēk´ zhôzĕf´ gärä´), 1749–1833, French revolutionary. He was minister of justice (1792–93) during the trial of King Louis XVI and notified the king of the death verdict. Appointed (1793) minister of the interior, Garat proved inadequate in the post. He was twice imprisoned during the Reign of Terror, and held high government posts after the terrorists were overthrown. He also served under the empire. After the Restoration he was forced to retire (1816). Garat wrote many works of political reminiscence and history, notably his Mémoires historiques sur le XVIIIe siècle et sur M. Suard (1820).

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