Who’s Who in Newspapers? Citizen Genêt edition…

October 10, 2025 by  
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The 10th installment of Who’s Who in Newspapers

Citizen who? While exploring newspapers from the 18th and early 19th centuries over the past few decades, I noticed the name “Citizen Genet” appearing more than once—always tied to some sort of “affair.” As a novice historian at the time (my academic background is actually in mathematics and engineering), and given my aversion to sensationalized “yellow journalism,” I let it pass. With tens of thousands of fascinating topics to explore through our beloved collectible, I never stopped to uncover who he really was or what his “affair” involved.

Recently, however, I embraced the old adage that “it’s never too late to learn” and finally took the plunge. What I found was a story worth the effort, one that offered both historical insight and a better appreciation for the newspapers that recorded it. A summary of my discovery is as follows:

Edmond-Charles “Citizen” Genet was a French diplomat sent to the United States in 1793 to gain American support for France’s wars with Britain and other European powers. Instead of observing diplomatic protocol, he jumped right into recruiting privateers to attack British ships and encouraging Americans to take up arms against Spain. These moves directly violated President George Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation of 1793. To make matters worse, Genet bypassed Washington altogether and appealed directly to the American public, an act that came across as both disrespectful and threatening to U.S. sovereignty.

The uproar that followed—known as the “Citizen Genet Affair”—quickly became a defining moment in America’s early history. Washington demanded Genet’s recall, reinforcing both the president’s authority in foreign affairs and the new nation’s commitment to neutrality. At home, the controversy deepened political divisions: Federalists supported Washington’s cautious stance, while Democratic-Republicans sympathized with revolutionary France. In the end, Genet was granted asylum in the United States and lived out his life in New York, but his story left behind a lasting lesson in diplomacy and America’s determination to remain independent from foreign influence.

So much for jumping to conclusions regarding his “affair”. I should have known better.

The photos shown are from two articles within the Columbian Centinel, Dec. 11, 1793. – the above in full, and the below of only an excerpt due to the length of the article. If original newspapers on this topic remain available, they would be found at: CITIZEN GENET

 

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Filed under: Collecting Newspapers, Illustrated Newspapers, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Pre Civil War, The 1700's, The 19th Century
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Comments

One Response to “Who’s Who in Newspapers? Citizen Genêt edition…”

  1. MikeyB on October 14th, 2025 9:26 pm

    This is brilliant. Simple and to the point.

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