Lefebvre was born on 28 May 1755 in Rouffach, Alsace, the son of a miller and retired hussar.[2] Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by an uncle who, himself a priest, unsuccessfully tried to lead him to a career in the church.[2] After working as a clerk to the prosecutor of Colmar, Lefebvre enlisted in the French Guards in 1773.[2] As a commoner, Lefebvre had little prospect for advancement; he was promoted to corporal in 1777 and to sergeant in 1788.[2] In 1783 he married Cathérine Hübscher, with whom he had 14 children, although all predeceased him. According to Louise Fusil his last son, a general, died in Vilna on 19 December 1812.
Lefebvre was in Paris at the time of the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 and, like his close friend, Michel Ordener, he embraced the French Revolution. After his unit was disbanded early in the Revolution, Lefebvre entered the newly-formed National Guard of Paris, obtaining the rank of lieutenant, and was injured defending King Louis XVI's during a popular uprising.[2] He was soon transferred to a regular infantry regiment.[2]
Lefebvre was excluded from the Chamber of Peers during the second Restoration.[2] However, he retained his rank of marshal. Louis XVIII restored his peerage on 5 March 1819. He died in Paris on 14 September 1820,[2] and was buried near André Masséna at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
He never forgot the risks he undertook that brought him rank and wealth. When a friend expressed envy of his estate, Lefebvre said, "Come down in the courtyard, and I'll have ten shots at you with a musket at 30 paces. If I miss, the whole estate is yours." After the friend declined this offer, Lefebvre added, "I had a thousand bullets shot at me from much closer range before I got all this."
^ abcdefghAlvin K. Benson (2001). "Francis Joseph Lefebvre". In John Powell (ed.). Magill's Guide to Military History. Vol. 3. Salem Press, Inc. p. 883.
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