Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury
Encyclopedia
Louis-Étienne François Héricart-Ferrand, vicomte de Thury, (Paris
, 3 June 1776 — Rome
, 15 January 1854) was a French politician and man of science. He was a mining engineer who produced more than 350 scholarly articles; was a member of numerous societies and professional associations.
He was heir to an estate of great horticultural richness with the equivalent of a private arboretum
. He was a founding member of the Société nationale d'horticulture de France.
His family were of the noblesse de robe, his father a master councillor at the Cour des Comptes
.
The younger Héricart showed an aptitude for science and was enrolled in the École des Mines 13 April 1795. His first commissions sent him on several trips to the south of France. In 1809 he was assigned the position of general inspector of quarries, a position he held, under changes of government, until 1830. Following the work of Charles Axel Guillaumot, he undertook the work researching and consolidating former Paris' subterranean mines
.
In 1814 he was received a member of the Société royale et centrale d'agriculture, first of a long list of scientific societies in which he was a member or correspondent. He was named director of the Bâtiments civils of Paris in 1823, and in that capacity oversaw the construction of the Paris Bourse
, the completion of the Arc de Triomphe
and the transformation of the Hôtel de Cluny into a museum.
He was elected a member of the Académie des sciences in 1824. He was listed among the four hundred founding members of the Société d'horticulture de Paris, 11 June 1827.
He was returned as député on three elections, in 1815, 1820 and 1824, then was defeated in the election of 1827. He was a member of the court circle of Charles X
and an adherent of the arch-conservative minister Villèle. He was a prime mover of the purchase of the Palais Bourbon
, seat of the Assemblée Nationale, by the French government in 1827.
In the last years of his life he was often asked to serve on juries judging expositions. He resigned the presidency of the Société d'horticulture in 1852. That same year he accompanied his son to Italy, where he died in Rome, 1854.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 3 June 1776 — Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, 15 January 1854) was a French politician and man of science. He was a mining engineer who produced more than 350 scholarly articles; was a member of numerous societies and professional associations.
He was heir to an estate of great horticultural richness with the equivalent of a private arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
. He was a founding member of the Société nationale d'horticulture de France.
His family were of the noblesse de robe, his father a master councillor at the Cour des Comptes
Cour des Comptes
The Court of Audit is a quasi-judicial body of the French government charged with conducting financial and legislative audits of most public institutions and some private institutions, including the central Government, national public corporations, social security agencies , and public services...
.
The younger Héricart showed an aptitude for science and was enrolled in the École des Mines 13 April 1795. His first commissions sent him on several trips to the south of France. In 1809 he was assigned the position of general inspector of quarries, a position he held, under changes of government, until 1830. Following the work of Charles Axel Guillaumot, he undertook the work researching and consolidating former Paris' subterranean mines
Mines of Paris
The Mines of Paris comprise a number of abandoned, subterranean mines under Paris, France, connected together by galleries...
.
In 1814 he was received a member of the Société royale et centrale d'agriculture, first of a long list of scientific societies in which he was a member or correspondent. He was named director of the Bâtiments civils of Paris in 1823, and in that capacity oversaw the construction of the Paris Bourse
Bourse
Bourse may refer to:*exchange *stock exchange*Bourse : metro station, Paris, France*Bourse de Travail: French labor council-Exchanges:*Paris Bourse: Euronext Paris, historical Paris stock exchange...
, the completion of the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
and the transformation of the Hôtel de Cluny into a museum.
He was elected a member of the Académie des sciences in 1824. He was listed among the four hundred founding members of the Société d'horticulture de Paris, 11 June 1827.
He was returned as député on three elections, in 1815, 1820 and 1824, then was defeated in the election of 1827. He was a member of the court circle of Charles X
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
and an adherent of the arch-conservative minister Villèle. He was a prime mover of the purchase of the Palais Bourbon
Palais Bourbon
The Palais Bourbon, , a palace located on the left bank of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concorde, Paris , is the seat of the French National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French government.-History:...
, seat of the Assemblée Nationale, by the French government in 1827.
In the last years of his life he was often asked to serve on juries judging expositions. He resigned the presidency of the Société d'horticulture in 1852. That same year he accompanied his son to Italy, where he died in Rome, 1854.