He was elected an officer in the National Guard when the French Revolution began; his great loyalty to Robespierre led to his appointment to the National Convention in 1792. In his first speech he condemned Louis XVI and he was subsequently instrumental in the overthrow of the Girondins Jacques René Hébert and Danton. He was the youngest member of the Committee of Public Safety, organized the Reign of Terror of 1793–94 in which supposed enemies of the Revolution were executed without legal process, and carried out many missions to enforce discipline in the revolutionary armies. He was executed with Robespierre.