César-Mansuète Despretz facts for kids

César-Mansuète Despretz was a smart scientist who lived a long time ago. He was born on May 4, 1791, in a town called Lessines. He became famous as both a chemist and a physicist. A chemist studies what things are made of, and a physicist studies how things work, like energy and forces. Despretz later became a French citizen in 1838. Even today, there's a street named after him in Lessines! He passed away in Paris on March 15, 1863, when he was 71 years old.

His Life and Work

Early Career

In 1818, Despretz began his career in Paris. He worked at a famous school called École Polytechnique. He was a "répétiteur" in chemistry, which means he helped students practice and understand their lessons. He learned a lot from a great scientist named Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac. Gay-Lussac helped guide Despretz's first research projects.

Teaching and Research

In 1824, Despretz started teaching at another important school, Lycée Henri-IV. He first worked as an assistant professor. Later, he became the main professor for physics there.

In 1831, he briefly took over the physics teaching role at Polytechnique. He filled in for Claude Pouillet, who had to leave due to health issues. After a short time, Gabriel Lamé took over the position from 1832 to 1844.

Becoming a Full Professor

Despretz continued to advance in his career. In 1837, he became an assistant professor of physics at the Faculté des sciences de Paris. This was a big step in his teaching journey.

In 1841, he joined the physics section of the French Academy of Sciences. This is a very important group of top scientists in France. He took the place of Félix Savart. Despretz even became the president of this Academy in 1858!

By 1847, he was made a full professor of physics at the Faculté des sciences de Paris. This showed how much his work and teaching were valued.

International Recognition

Just a few months before he passed away, in 1862, César Despretz received a special honor. He became a foreign member of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in the United Kingdom. It showed that his scientific contributions were recognized all over the world.