Antoine-Augustin Cournot French philosopher, mathematician and economist Date of Birth: 28.08.1801 Country: France

1. Biography of Antoine Augustin Cournot
2. Education and Early Career
3. Professional Career
4. Later Years and Legacy

Biography of Antoine Augustin Cournot

Antoine Augustin Cournot was a French philosopher, mathematician, and economist, known for his contribution to the formalization of economic theory. He is credited with being the first to formulate the law of supply and demand. Cournot was born on August 28, 1801, in Gray, Haute-Saône, France, into the family of a prosperous merchant named Claude Cournot.

Education and Early Career

From 1809 to 1816, Cournot studied at the local college, which now bears his name, Lycée Augustin Cournot. After completing his studies, he spent four years as a junior clerk in a law firm while independently studying philosophy. In 1820, as part of his preparation for entrance exams to the prestigious École Normale Supérieure, he worked as a part-time teacher at the Royal College of Besançon. The following year, Cournot was accepted into École Normale Supérieure, where he studied alongside philologist Louis Marie Quicherat, publisher Louis Hachette, and medieval literature researcher François Génin. In 1822, due to political reasons, the school was closed, and in 1823 Cournot received a diploma in mathematics from Sorbonne.

Professional Career

From 1823 to 1833, Cournot worked as a secretary to Marshal Gouvion Saint-Cyr, assisting him in writing memoirs and tutoring his son while conducting his own research. In 1827, he obtained a degree in law and defended his doctoral thesis in mathematics with a specialization in mechanics and astronomy in 1829. During this time, he became a regular attendee of Joseph Droz's economic salon. Cournot's scientific work caught the attention of the renowned mathematician Siméon Denis Poisson, who supported him in starting his career as a scientist and bureaucrat. In 1834, thanks to Poisson, Cournot was appointed as a professor of analysis and mechanics at the Faculty of Sciences in Lyon. From 1835 to 1838, he held the position of rector of the Academy of Grenoble, and from 1836 to 1852, he served as the general inspector of public education. In 1836, Cournot chaired the jury that selected mathematics teachers in a national competition.

Later Years and Legacy

From 1854 to 1862, Cournot served as the rector of the Academy of Dijon before retiring due to his age. In 1838, he married and acquired a chateau in Vellexon, Haute-Saône. In 1859, Cournot wrote his memoirs, titled "Souvenirs," which were only published in 1913. In his later years, he suffered from illness and almost complete blindness. Cournot passed away on March 30, 1877, in Paris and was buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery.