Jean Bouguer (or Jan Bouguer; pronounced boo-GAYR) (d. 1714) was a French hydrographer and

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

from

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. A former

maritime pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled profession ...

who had lost a leg at Bantry in the 1689 French invasion of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, causing him to leave active maritime service. Bouguer was appointed royal professor of

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primar ...

in charge of the new École d'hydrographie at

Le Croisic Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label= Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. History The United States Navy established a naval air station o ...

in June 1691. He was author of a highly regarded treatise on

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

and piloting (''Traité complet de la navigation'', Paris, Guignard, 1698 ). He would also teach students privately in a one-room school at his home, where he kept many

astronomical Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...

and navigational instruments. He was well-versed in astronomy, mathematics, and hydrography, and held the certificate of ''Maîtrise d'hydrographe''. He had three children with his wife Marie Françoise Josseau, including sons Pierre Bouguer, who succeeded him in his position at Le Croisic and continued the family navigation school, and Jan Bouguer, who took over the family school when his brother left for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

some years later.

References

External links

Letter
in Bouguer's hand. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouguer, Jean 17th-century births 1714 deaths French hydrographers