1752-1833

French Mathematician

Though he was overshadowed by his older contemporaries Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813) and Pierre-Simon de Laplace (1749-1827), Adrien-Marie Legendre played a significant role in the world of eighteenth-century mathematics. Not only was he the author of the highly popular Eléments de géométrie (1794), but in the field of research he founded the theory of elliptic functions and contributed to the understanding of number theory and celestial mechanics.

Born in Paris on September 18, 1752, Legendre was the son of wealthy parents. He studied at the Collège Mazarin in Paris, and in 1770, when he was 18 years old, defended his theses in mathematics and physics. Four years later he published a work on mechanics, the first of many publications. In 1775, Legendre took a position at the Ecole Militaire in Paris, where he would remain for five years.

Legendre first distinguished himself internationally when in 1782 his...