<P> Genêt was born in Versailles in 1763 . He was the ninth and final child of a French civil servant, Edmond Jacques Genêt (September 11, 1726--September 11, 1781), who was a head clerk in the ministry of foreign affairs . The elder Genêt analyzed British naval strength during the Seven Years' War and monitored the progress of the American Revolutionary War . Genêt was a prodigy who could read French, English, Italian, Latin, Swedish, Greek, and German by the age of 12 . </P> <P> At 18, Genêt was appointed court translator, and in 1788 he was sent to the French embassy in Saint Petersburg to serve as ambassador . Over time, Genêt became disenchanted with the ancien régime, learning to despise not just the French monarchy but all monarchical systems, including Tsarist Russia under Catherine the Great . In 1792, Catherine declared Genêt persona non grata, calling his presence "not only superfluous but even intolerable ." The same year, the Girondists rose to power in France and appointed Genêt to the post of minister to the United States . </P> <P> The Citizen Genêt affair began in 1793 when he was dispatched to the United States to promote American support for France's wars with Spain and Britain . </P> <P> Genêt arrived in Charleston, South Carolina on the French frigate Embuscade on April 8 . Instead of traveling to the then - capital of Philadelphia to present himself to U.S. President George Washington for accreditation, Genêt stayed in South Carolina . There he was greeted with enthusiasm by the people of Charleston, who threw a string of parties in his honor . </P>

French minister directly recruited american support for france
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