1707-1788

French Geologist and Naturalist

Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon, is referred to as Buffon. He is primarily remembered for his encyclopedic Natural History (Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière, 44 volumes, 1749-1804). His father, Benjamin François Leclerc, was a state official in Burgundy. Buffon liked to say that he inherited his intelligence as well as his fortune from his mother. While a student at the Jesuit's College of Godrans in Dijon, Buffon demonstrated an aptitude for mathematics. Although his father wanted him to prepare for a career as a lawyer, Buffon was drawn to the study of mathematics and astronomy. A youthful love affair and a duel interrupted his studies and forced him to leave France for tours of Italy and England with the Duke of Kingston. While in England, Buffon was elected a...