1605-1675

French mathematician. Bessy held an official position at the Court of Monnais, and was an amateur mathematician with a particular interest in number theory. He corresponded with many mathematicians, such as René Descartes, Pierre de Fermat, Christiaan Huygens, and Marin Mersenne. He solved many of the problems posed by Fermat, and introduced new ideas and further problems. He also did early work on magic squares, publishing Des quassez ou tables magiques. He was elected to the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1666.