Benjamin Delessert

See also: Delessert

Jules Paul Benjamin Delessert , born with Lyon the February 14th 1773 and died in Paris on March 1st 1847, is a Business man and Naturaliste French.

Origin

Its family, Protestant woman, are originating in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland (it was believed a long time that it had been exiled of France after the revocation of the edict of Nantes towards 1685). Members of its family came to France in 1735. His/her father is Etienne Delessert (1735-1816), a business man having created insurance companies and a case of discount.

His/her mother maintained the friendly relations with the writer for youth Arnaud Berquin (1747-1791), the scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), the geologist Jean André Deluc (1727-1817) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) which dedicated to him, like with his/her daughter, its Lettres on botany .

Youth

During his youth, Benjamin Delessert travels much and meets with Edinburgh Dugald Stewart (1753-1828), John Playfair (1748-1819) and Adam Smith (1723-1790). With Birmingham, Benjamin and his brother meet James Watt (1736-1819) which makes them a demonstration of its steam engine. Jean André Deluc, which it meets with Windsor, initiates it with the new developments of the Géologie.

Of return in France, he studies at the artillery school of Meulan where he obtains a rank of captain quickly and enters the National guard. He is useful in Belgium under Jean-Charles Pichegru (1761-1804), then the general Charles Edouard Jennings de Kilmaine (1751-1799) chooses it as aide-de-camp He takes part in several military campaigns, in particular with the seat of Maubeuge.

Business man

He is recalled in 1795 by his father who entrusts his goods to him and the direction of the house of bank. He founds in 1801 a refinery of Sucre to Passy where he introduces new processes, then soon a score of other establishments of the same kind in various French areas. At the time of the blockade of France, it is Delessert which, by basing on research of the German chemist Franz Karl Achard (1753-1821), develops the method of extraction of sugar starting from the Betterave, method which it names Bonmatin . In reward of the rendered services, Napoleon the fact chevalier of the Legion of Honor. In 1812, it reaches under baron d' Empire.

It imports of England the institution of the Savings bank in 1818. It sits during 25 years with the House of Commons, of which it is twice elected vice-president. He proposes to decree a national reward with the duke of Richelieu after the release of the French territory, and he makes abolish the lottery as well as the houses of play.

Botanist

Delessert is elected free member of the Academy of Science in 1816. Botanist amateur and baited collector, his fortune enables him to buy large herbaria successively. It made of splendid botanical and conchological collections, of which those of Louis-Guillaume Monnier (1717-1799), of Etienne Pierre Ventenat (1757-1808), of Philibert Commerson (1727-1773), of Nicolaas Laurens Burman (1734-1793), of Jacques-Julien Houtou of Billardière (1755-1834), of Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois (1752-1820), of Rene Desfontaines (1750-1831) and well of others.

Moreover, it receives specimens of the largest naturalists of its time like Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), Aimé Bonpland (1773-1858), Robert Brown (1773-1858), Augustin Pyrame de Candolle (1778-1841), Joseph Paul Gaimard (1796-1858) or Charles Gaudichaud-Bowsprit (1789-1854). Just as it accepted many specimens of the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies. Its herbarium ends up joining together 250.000 specimens accounting for 87.000 S. This herbarium, like its library, is one of richest of Europe. Delessert allowed very many scientists to come to study its collections. It makes appear of 1820 with 1846 five volumes of the Icones selectatae plantarum containing 500 boards color, which were described by Augustin Pyrame de Candolle (1778-1841) in its Icones select plantarum .

Its interest is not limited only to the plants. It also constitutes a very rich collection of: 100000 Shell S representing: 23000 S as well as a very rich library. It makes appear in 1842 a Recueil of shells new, described by Lamarck in its Natural history of the animals without vertebrae and not yet illustrated and whose text is signed Jean-Charles Chenu (1808-1879). Its collections are in particular enriched by acquisition by the collections by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-1829), of Louis Dufresne (1752-1832), of Pierre François Keraudren (1769-1858), of Jacques Teissier (1780-1814). Of Louis-Claude Marie Richard (1754-1821), it held a shell which the botanist had previously acquired for: 6000 francs, a true fortune for the time.

There Delessert does not limit its action in favor of arts and sciences. It actively supports anatomical work of the doctor Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849). In addition, it repurchases, at high prices, the works or the reviews held by stripped scientists. It enriches its library thus all offer a material aid of it to the scientists. Delessert also ensures the financing of erudite works which do not find an editor.

Politician and social action

Towards 1800, it founds soup kitchens which distribute, lasting certain winters, up to four million meal. Starting from 1815, it is implied in the French political life, dates to which it is elected appointed of Paris, then again of 1817 with 1824, then of 1827 with 1842 appointed Saumur. It is beaten with the election of July 9th, 1842. During its forty-three years of mandates, it sits at the center-left. It fights to improve the conditions of the patients in the hospitals and for the abrogation of the capital punishment.

It takes part in 1818 in the creation of the Savings bank in France which it directs during nearly twenty years, and of the Livret has. It offers the control of the establishment to the government in 1835. At the time of its death, there existed in France three hundred and fifty savings banks having collected four hundred franc million.

During the Revolution of 1830, it belongs to the delegation of five members sent on July 30th by the House of Commons to the Palais of Luxembourg to discuss with the Pairs in order to convince the Upper House to support the proclamation of the duke of Orleans as general lieutenant of the kingdom. It forms then part of the commission of twelve deputies which, in the evening, goes to the Château of Neuilly in order to notify in Louis-Philippe of Orleans the deliberation calling it with the general lieutenancy of the kingdom.

It is one of the principal members of the philanthropic Société and one of the founders of the Société of encouragement for national industry. Enthusiastic propagator of the primary education, he is the owner of the rooms of asylum. Called the “father of the workmen”, it bequeaths: 160000 francs with the Savings bank, the responsibility of give booklets of fifty francs to three thousand selected workmen each year.

In addition to political discourses and writings on the savings banks, he is the author of a Guide of the happiness published in 1839.

Iconography

  • a French stamp of a value of 75 cts was devoted to him in 1935 engraved by A. Delzers according to a drawing of Rene Gregoire, two other draftsmen of stamps had proposed their drafts: Rene Cottet and Claudie-Frederique Korthals. Source: Charles Lemasson, “For your placements, think of the Savings bank. from 1935”, Stamps magazine , November 2007 pp. 56-57.
  • Rene Gregoire which was also sculptor carried out for a place of Saumur a bronze statue melted under the Occupation.

Partial sources

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