Gallois [Galloys], Jean

1. Dates

Born: Paris, 11 June 1632

Died: Paris, 19 Apr. 1707

Dateinfo: Dates Certain

Lifespan: 75

2. Father

Occupation: Lawyer

Ambroise Gallois was a counsellor to the Parlement of Paris. Fontennelle calls him "Avocat au Parlement."

No explicit information on his financial status.

3. Nationality

Birth: French

Career: French

Death: French

4. Education

Schooling: No University

He studied theology, languages, and mathematics. He knew both living and classical languages, and was interested in sciences. There is no mention of university education.

5. Religion

Affiliation: Catholic

He was ordained as a priest in 1657.

6. Scientific Disciplines

Primary: Scientific Communication

His name is associated with the famous Journal des scavans. He made the periodical a success, publishing forty- two issues as sole editor, after he took over in 1666.

As an active member of the Académie, he was involved in a number of its publications.

7. Means of Support

Primary: Patronage, Government

Secondary: Church Life, Academia

Jan. 1665-Apr. 1665, associate editor of Journal des scavans.

1666-1675, editor of Journal des scavans.

At some point in here Colbert, who was responsible for his position as editor and for his membership in the Académie, obtained a pension for him of 1500 livres from the king. Colbert also arranged for his appointment to the small priory of St. Martin de Cuers in the diocese of Fréjus, from which Gallois received an income of 600 livres.

1667-1707, member of AR. 1699-1707, pensionary geomenter of AR.

1673, entered the Académie Francaise.

He was also perpetual secretary of the Académie des Inscriptions.

1683- , custodian of the Royal Library, and professor of Greek at the Collège Royale.

8. Patronage

Types: Government Official, Aristrocrat

Gallois owed his editorship to Colbert, minister of finance, who was his principal patron.

After the death of Colbert, the Marquis de Seignelai got him the positions at the Bibliotheque royale and the Collège royale, and the Marquis obtained a further pension from the king for him.

9. Technological Involvement

Types: None

10. Scientific Societies

Memberships: Académie Royal des Sciences, 1667-1707

He temporarily assumed the duties of the perpetual secretary when the secretary was on a diplomatic mission to England in 1667.

With the reoganization of the AR in 1699 he was made pensionary geometer.

Sources

1. Bernard de Fontenelle, "Éloge de M. l'abbé Gallois", in Histoire et memoires de l'Académie royale des sciences pour l'année 1707, Pt. 1, pp. 218-26.
2. Dictionnaire de biographie française, 15, 257-8.

Not Available and Not Consulted

1. Denis-Francois Camusat, Histoire critique des journaux, (Amsterdam, 1734), pp.214-310.
2. "Bibliographie de Jean Galloys", in Histoire de l'Académie royale des sciences depuis 1666 jusqu'à son renouvellement en 1699, 2, (Paris, 1733), p.360.

Compiled by:

Richard S. Westfall

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Indiana University

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