Louis-Guillaume Le Veillard (1733–1794) was a French chemist, aristocrat and officeholder. Marrying into a wealthy family, Le Veillard inherited a large estate in

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. It is home to many of the city's wealthiest residents. Passy was a commune on the outskirts of Paris. In 1658, hot springs were discovered around whic ...

, France which included a spa of mineral waters that provided clean drinking water to much of Paris. To compete with other purveyors of water, he earned a medical degree at the

University of Reims The University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (; URCA), also known simply as the University of Reims, is a public university based in Reims, France. In addition to the main campus in Reims, the university has several campuses located throughout t ...

(1764), and landscaped the spa to include paths, terraces, pavilions, and other luxurious flourishes. He befriended

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

while the American diplomat resided nearby in Passy, and the two men traveled to England together in 1785 where Le Veillard saw Franklin off to the United States. The men remained close friends and corresponded for many years, and Le Veillard became one of very few recipients of a draft of Franklin's autobiography. In 1786, Le Veillard was elected as a member to Franklin's

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. In 1790, Le Veillard became mayor of Passy, however, the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

cut his tenure short. He was one of the many aristocratic victims of that violent time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Veillard, Louis-Guillaume People killed in the French Revolution Members of the American Philosophical Society 1733 births 1794 deaths