![Jacques Savary Le Parfait Negociant frontiscipe 1675](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Jacques_Savary_Le_Parfait_Negociant_frontiscipe_1675.jpg)
Jacques Savary (22 September 1622 – 7 October 1690) was a successful
French merchant who became a widely recognised expert on questions regarding commerce. He was the author of ''Le parfait négociant'' (1675), a manual on mercantile trade, which was translated into several languages.
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Life
Savary was born at Doué in Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
* County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duk ...
on 22 September 1622 from a noble family that was devoted to trade.
He studied law in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
with a procureur, then became a wholesale merchant of haberdashery.
By 1658 he had made his fortune.
His friend Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux (27 January 1615 – 23 March 1680) was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV. He had a glittering career, and acquired enormous wealth ...
, the Superintendent of Finances
The Superintendent of Finances (french: Surintendant des finances) was the name of the minister in charge of finances in France from 1561 to 1661. The position was abolished in 1661 with the downfall of Nicolas Fouquet, and a new position was cr ...
, gave him a contract for collecting the revenues of crown lands.
After Fouquet fell from power, he gained the favor of the Chancellor Pierre Séguier
Pierre Séguier (; 28 May 1588 – 28 January 1672) was a French statesman, chancellor of France from 1635.
Biography Early years
Séguier was born in Paris to a prominent legal family originating in Quercy. His grandfather, Pierre Séguier (15 ...
, who charged him with arbitrating in numerous commercial questions.
With a growing reputation, he was asked to assist the commission that revised the laws concerning trade, and had such influence that the ordinance of 1673 was named the "Code Savary".
After the death of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...
in 1683, the new controller general of finances, Pelletier, ordered him to make an investigation of the financial affairs of the Western crown lands.[
Savory had seventeen children, eleven of whom survived him, including the writer on economy ]Jacques Savary des Brûlons
Jacques Savary des Brûlons (1657–1716) was the French Inspector General of the Manufactures for the King at the Paris Customs in the 18th century, and a lexicographer who wrote the ''Dictionnaire universel de commerce''.
Jacques Savary des Brà ...
(1656-1716), and Louis-Philémon Savary (1654, 1727). He died on 7 October 1690.[
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Works
Savary was asked to prepare a book from the many memoirs he had prepared for the commission revising the trade laws.
This was published in 1675 with the title "''Le parfait négociant ou Instruction générale pour ce qui regarde le commerce des marchandises de France et des pays étrangers." (The Perfect Merchant or General Instruction regarding the mercantile trade of France and foreign countries)''.
The book ran into many editions, and was translated into several languages.
In 1688, Parfait published a sequel: "''Les Parères, ou Avis et Conseils sur les plus importantes Matières de Commerce" (Customary Business Rules, or Advice and guidance on the most important materials of Commerce)''.
These books and Savory's opinions were treated as having almost the weight of law.[Chatfield, Michael]
"Savary, Jacques (1622-1690)."
In ''History of Accounting: an International Encyclopedia,'' edited by Michael Chatfield
Michael Chatfield (1930s-2004) was an American economist, accounting historian, and Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the Southern Oregon University, known for his work on the history of accounting and accounting thought, and particularly for hi ...
and Richard Vangermeersch
Richard G.J. Vangermeersch (born 1940) is an American economist, and Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Rhode Island, particularly known for his ''History of Accounting: An International Encyclopedia,'' edited with Michael Chatf ...
. New York: Garland Publishing, 1996. P. 514.
Bibliography
* ''Le parfait négociant: ou Instruction générale pour ce qui regarde le commerce des marchandises de France, & des pays étrangers'' 1675
New edition by Edouard RICHARD (scient. edit.) Droz, Geneva, 2011, 2,428 p.
* ''Les Parères, ou Avis et Conseils sur les plus importantes Matières de Commerce'' 1688
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savary, Jacques
1622 births
1690 deaths
French merchants
French male writers
17th-century French businesspeople