Claude-François Achard (1751-1809) was a French physician and author. He was the founder of the first public library in Marseille . He was the author of several books, including the first French- Provençal dictionary.
Early life
Claude-Francois Achard was born on May 23, 1751 in Marseille, France. [1] [2] [3] He was raised as a Roman Catholic. [2] He was educated in Montpellier , and he earned a doctorate in medicine from the University of Avignon in 1772. [1] [3]
Career
Achard started his career as a physician in Aubagne from 1772 to 1775. [1] He was further practiced medicine in Marseille, and became a member of the Royal Society of Medicine in Paris in 1785. [2]
Achard was also the author of several non-fiction books. For example, he wrote the first French- Provençal dictionary. [2] He became a member of the Marseille Academy in 1786. [3]
Achard began collecting books from Catholic schools and monasteries closed down during the French Revolution in 1790. [1] By 1793, he was a founder of the first public library in Marseille, [1] based in the Convent of Bernardines . [2]
Achard was a Freemason . [1] He spearheaded the growth of Freemasonry in Marseilles during the French Consulate , and he reopened a lodge known as “The Triple Union”. [1]
Death and legacy
Achard died on September 29, 1809 in Marseille. [1] [2] [3] The Rue Achard in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille was named in his honor. [4]
Works
- Achard, Claude-François (1785). The French-Provençal and Provençal-French vocabulary .
- Achard, Claude-François (1786-1787). History of illustrious men of Provence .
- Achard, Claude-François (1787-1788). Historical, geographical and topographical description of the towns, villages, villages and hamlets of ancient and modern Provence, the Comtat Venaissin and the principality of Orange, the County of Nice to serve as a continuation of the dictionary of Provence .
References
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h “ACHARD Claude François” . Committee on Historical and Scientific Works . Retrieved December 2, 2016 .
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f “ACHARD Claude François” . Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters of Marseille . Retrieved December 2, 2016 .
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d “Claude Francois Achard (1751-1809)” . National Library of France . Retrieved December 2, 2016 .
- Jump up^ Wheat, Adrien (1989). Historical dictionary of the streets of Marseille . Marseille: Editions Jeanne Laffitte. p. 13. ISBN 9782862761954 . OCLC 21443673 .