Jean Baptiste Antoine Auget de Montyon
Encyclopedia
Antoine Jean Baptiste Robert Auget, Baron de Montyon (23 December 1733 – 29 December 1820) was a French
philanthropist
, born in Paris
.
His father was a maître des comptes; he was educated in law, and became a lawyer at the Châtelet
in 1755, maître des requêtes
to the Conseil d'État in 1760, and intendant
successively of Auvergne
, Provence
and La Rochelle
. He had repeatedly shown great independence of character, protesting against the accusation of Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais
in 1766, and refusing in 1771 to suppress the local courts of justice in obedience to Maupeou
. He was made a councillor of state
in 1775 by the influence of Louis de Bourbon, duke of Penthièvre
, and in 1780 he was attached to the court in the honorary office of chancellor to the comte d'Artois (afterwards Charles X
). He followed the princes into exile, and lived for some years in London
. During the emigration period he spent large sums on the alleviation of the poverty of his fellow immigrants, returning to France only at the second restoration.
Between 1780 and 1787 he had founded a series of prizes, the awards to be made by the French academy
and the academies of science and medicine. These prizes fell into abeyance during the revolutionary period, but were re-established in 1815. When Montyon died, he bequeathed 10,000 francs for the perpetual endowment of each of the following prizes: for the discovery of the means of rendering some mechanical process less dangerous to the workman; for the perfecting of any technical improvement in a mechanical process; for the book which during the year rendered the greatest service to humanity; the "prix de vertu" for the most courageous act on the part of a poor Frenchman; the awards being left as before to the learned academies. He also left 10,000 francs to each of the Parisian hospitals.
Montyon wrote a series of works, chiefly on political economy:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, born in Paris
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...
.
His father was a maître des comptes; he was educated in law, and became a lawyer at the Châtelet
Grand Châtelet
The Grand Châtelet was a stronghold in Ancien Régime Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, on the site of what is now the Place du Châtelet; it contained a court and police headquarters and a number of prisons....
in 1755, maître des requêtes
Maître des requêtes
Masters of Requests are high-level judicial officers of administrative law in France and other European countries that have existed in one form or another since the Middle Ages.-Old Regime France:...
to the Conseil d'État in 1760, and intendant
Intendant
The title of intendant has been used in several countries through history. Traditionally, it refers to the holder of a public administrative office...
successively of Auvergne
Auvergne (province)
Auvergne was a historic province in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
, Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
and La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
. He had repeatedly shown great independence of character, protesting against the accusation of Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais
Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais
Louis-René de Caradeuc de La Chalotais was a French jurist who is primarily remembered for his role on the so-called "Brittany affair", in which the Breton parliament resisted the authority of the French monarchy...
in 1766, and refusing in 1771 to suppress the local courts of justice in obedience to Maupeou
René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou
René Nicolas Charles Augustin de Maupeou was a French politician, chancellor of France, whose attempts at fiscal reform signalled the failure of enlightened despotism in France.-Biography:...
. He was made a councillor of state
Conseiller d'État
A French Councillor of State is a high-level government official of administrative law in the Council of State of France.-Under the Old Regime:...
in 1775 by the influence of Louis de Bourbon, duke of Penthièvre
Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon, duc de Penthièvre
Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon was the son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon and his wife Marie Victoire de Noailles. He was also a grandson of Louis XIV of France and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. From birth he was known as the Duke of Penthièvre...
, and in 1780 he was attached to the court in the honorary office of chancellor to the comte d'Artois (afterwards 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...
). He followed the princes into exile, and lived for some years in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. During the emigration period he spent large sums on the alleviation of the poverty of his fellow immigrants, returning to France only at the second restoration.
Between 1780 and 1787 he had founded a series of prizes, the awards to be made by the French academy
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
and the academies of science and medicine. These prizes fell into abeyance during the revolutionary period, but were re-established in 1815. When Montyon died, he bequeathed 10,000 francs for the perpetual endowment of each of the following prizes: for the discovery of the means of rendering some mechanical process less dangerous to the workman; for the perfecting of any technical improvement in a mechanical process; for the book which during the year rendered the greatest service to humanity; the "prix de vertu" for the most courageous act on the part of a poor Frenchman; the awards being left as before to the learned academies. He also left 10,000 francs to each of the Parisian hospitals.
Montyon wrote a series of works, chiefly on political economy:
- Éloge de Michel de l'hôpital (Paris, 1777)
- Recherches et considérations sur la population de la France (1778), a share of which is attributed to his secretary, Moheau
- Rapport fait à Louis XVIII (Constance, 1796), in which he maintained in opposition to CalonneCharles Alexandre de CalonneCharles Alexandre, vicomte de Calonne was a French statesman, best known for his involvement in the French Revolution.-Rise to prominence:...
's Tableau de l'Europe that France had always possessed a constitution, which had, however, been violated by the kings of France - L'état statistique du Tunkin (1811) ; and Particularités... sur les ministres des finances en France (1812).