Claude-François Achard (1751–1809) was a French physician and author. He was the founder of the first public library in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. He was the author of several books, including the first French- Provençal dictionary.

Early life

Claude-François Achard was born on 23 May 1751 in Marseille, France. He was raised as a Roman Catholic. He was educated in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

, and he earned a doctorate in medicine from the

University of Avignon Avignon University ( French: ''Avignon Université''; formerly known as ''Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse'') is a public university located in Avignon, France. Avignon University is situated on two campuses: the Hannah Arendt Cam ...

in 1772.

Career

Achard started his career as a physician in

Aubagne Aubagne (, ''Aubanha'' in Occitan language, Occitan according to the classic norm or ''Aubagno'' according to the Mistralian norm) is a Commune in France, commune in the southern French Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In ...

from 1772 to 1775. He subsequently practised medicine in Marseille, and he became a member of the Société Royale de médecine de Paris in 1785. Achard was also the author of several non-fiction books. For example, he wrote the first French- Provençal dictionary. He became a member of the

Académie de Marseille The Académie de Marseille, officially the Académie des sciences, lettres et arts de Marseille, is a French learned society based in Marseille. It was founded in 1726 and includes those in the city involved in the arts, letters, and sciences. Hi ...

in 1786. Achard began collecting books from Catholic schools and monasteries closed down during the French Revolution in 1790. By 1793, he was a founder of the first public library in Marseille, based in the Couvent des Bernardines. Achard was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He spearheaded the growth of Freemasonry in Marseille during the

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...

, and he reopened a lodge known as "La Triple union".

Death and legacy

Achard died on 29 September 1809 in Marseille. The ''Rue Achard'' in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille was named in his honor.

Works

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References

1751 births 1809 deaths Writers from Marseille 18th-century French physicians French medical writers French non-fiction writers French Freemasons Physicians from Marseille {{France-nonfiction-writer-stub