Étienne-François Turgot, last Lord of

Brucourt Brucourt () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. Population See also *Co ...

, marquis of

Soumont Soumont (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Geography Climate Soumont has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification ''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Soumont is . T ...

, (16 June 1721, Paris – 21 October 1789, Paris) was an 18th-century French naturalist, knight of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

and governor of

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. His knowledge of natural history, surgery, medicine and agriculture made him a free correspondent of the

French Academy of Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

. He was a contributor to the ''

Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...

''.

Biography

His father was

Michel-Étienne Turgot Michel-Étienne Turgot (; ; 9 June 1690 in Paris – 1 February 1751 in Paris) was ''prévôt des marchands de Paris'' ("Master of the merchants of Paris", i.e. Mayor of Paris) from 1729 to 1740. His name is associated with one of the most famo ...

(1690–1751), prévôt des marchands de Paris ("Master of the merchants of Paris", i.e. Mayor of Paris) and his younger brother the famous

Anne Robert Jacques Turgot Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de l'Aulne ( ; ; 10 May 172718 March 1781), commonly known as Turgot, was a French economist and statesman. Sometimes considered a physiocrat, he is today best remembered as an early advocate for economic lib ...

. He was the father of

Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot (26 September 1796, in Falaise, Calvados – 2 October 1866, in Versailles) was a French diplomat and politician. Family He was the son of Étienne-François Turgot (1721–1789), marquis de Soumont; ...

. Turgot was admitted to the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (now the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

) as a young man. As a knight of Malta, he commanded one of the Order's Mediterranean galleys. In the 1740s, he fought for

Maurice de Saxe Maurice, Count of Saxony (, ; 28 October 1696 – 20 November 1750) was a notable soldier, officer and a famed military commander of the 18th century. The illegitimate son of Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania ...

in Bohemia and Flanders during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. He returned to France in 1764 and was appointed brigadier of the king's armies. He established the

Académie d'Agriculture The Académie d'agriculture de France (, AAF) is a voluntary association aiming to contribute to the evolution of agriculture and rural life in the scientific, technical, economic, judicial, legal, social and cultural fields. It is the successor ...

in 1760 and was received free associate of the Académie des sciences in 1762. King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

appointed him governor of Guyana but the colonizing expedition conducted in 1763 at the request of Étienne François de Choiseul, poorly prepared, was a resounding failure. Similarly, because of power struggles, accused of embezzlement, Turgot ended up being the subject of a

lettre de cachet ''Lettres de cachet'' (; ) were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal. They contained orders directly from the king, often to enforce actions and judgments that could not b ...

. After his detention, he took no responsibility and devoted himself to study. A gout attack - disease shared with his father and brothers - won 21 October 1789.

Works

* Contribution to the article ''Coton'' of the ''

'', 1754, vol. 4, . * ''Mémoire instructif sur la manière de rassembler, de préparer, de conserver et d'envoyer les diverses curiosités d'histoire naturelle'' ; auquel on a joint un mémoire intitulé : ''Avis pour le transport par mer, des arbres, des plantes vivaces, des semences, & de diverses autres curiosités d'histoire naturelle'', Paris, Jean Marie Bruyset, bookseller, rue Merciere, au Soleil d'or, 1758
Read online

* ''Observations sur l'espèce de résine élastique de l'île de France''. * He provided a few texts to Jean-Louis Giraud-Soulavie for the parts of his ''Mémoires historiques sur le règne de Louis XVI'' devoted to the history of his

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

's ministry.

References

External links

Notice d'autorité SUDOC
* Marion F. Godfroy-Tayart de Borms, ''Kourou ou l'ultime combat de la monarchie pour une Amérique française : étude d'une expédition coloniale : 1763-1781'', EHESS, June 2009. * Notice dans ''Dictionnaire universel, historique, critique et bibliographique'', imprimerie de Mame, 1812, vol. 17
(p. 354–355)
*

Joseph-Marie Quérard Joseph Marie Quérard (25 December 1797 – 3 December 1865) was a French bibliographer. He was born at Rennes, where he was apprenticed to a bookseller. Sent abroad on business, he remained in Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital cit ...

, ''La France littéraire'', Daguin frères, 1838, vol. 9
(p. 579)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turgot, Etienne-Francois Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772) 18th-century French naturalists Scientists from Paris People imprisoned by lettre de cachet Members of the French Academy of Sciences 1721 births 1789 deaths