In July of 1829 a new Jesuit priest arrived in the village of Bourg-le-Reine, where Galois’s father was still mayor. The priest took exception to the mayor’s republican sympathies and began a campaign to oust him from office by spreading rumors aimed at discrediting him. In particular the scheming priest exploited Nicolas-Gabriel Galois’s reputation for composing clever rhymes. He wrote a series of vulgar verses ridiculing members of the community and signed them with the mayor’s name. The elder Galois could not survive the shame and the embarrassment that resulted and committed suicide.
