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“Cadet Rousselle” was a popular French song that satirized a French bailiff by the name of Guillaume (William) Rousselle, widely known as Cadet Rousselle.

Guillaume Rousselle was born in Orgelet, Jura on April 30, 1743, and died in Auxerre on January 28, 1807. In his 1945 book on Cadet Rousselle, Pierre Pinsseau details Rousselle’s life in Auxerre beginning with his 1783 arrival in the town. The circumstances and exact date of Guillaume Rousselle’s arrival in Auxerre are unknown, but it is believed to be 1763, one year after the death of his father. His first jobs included work as a domestic servant and lackey and later he worked as a bailiff’s clerk.

On March 15, 1780, he petitioned the Lieutenant General of the Bailiwick of Auxerre for the position of head bailiff of the Bailiwick and Courts of Auxerre. His eligibility for this position was confirmed by his Majesty on March 8, 1780, which shows that he had been living in the town for several years.

His appointment in 1780 as a Court bailiff provided sufficient income to allow the purchase of a small house, which had an old porch on top of which he added a construction in the shape of a narrow loggia. He was seen as a jovial bon vivant, a little eccentric, but he enjoyed the sympathy of his fellow citizens.

In Auxerre, he was seen as “good revolutionary”, perhaps a little too much so. After a stint in prison between 1794 and 1795, he carefully limited his activities to his official duties as bailiff.

In his 1874 novel Ninety-Three, Victor Hugo has Danton mock Robespierre for monopolizing the floor at the Convention for two hours:

Cadet Rousselle made speeches that are not long when they are short.