Bernard Germain de Lacépède

Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède (Known as "Comte de Lacépède")

Naturalist, Ichthyologist, Herpetologist, First Grand Chancellor of Legion of Honour

Born Dec 26, 1756

Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), France

Passed Away Oct 06, 1825 Épinay-sur-Seine (near Paris), France

Lifespan 68 years old

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Notice / Correction

"To describe the creatures of the deep is to trace the boundless imagination of nature in living form."

Archival Overview

Distinguished French naturalist and statesman chosen by Buffon to complete his monumental Histoire Naturelle with landmark volumes on reptiles, fish, and cetaceans, and who served as the first Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour.

Biographical Record

Encouraged in youth by Buffon, Lacépède became sub-demonstrator at the Jardin du Roi in Paris. Following Buffon's death in 1788, he authored the historic continuation volumes of Histoire Naturelle dedicated to oviparous quadrupeds, serpents (1789), and his monumental five-volume Histoire naturelle des poissons (1798–1803), classifying over 1,400 fish species.

In 1795, he was elected to the Académie des Sciences. In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte appointed Lacépède the first Grand Chancellor of the newly created National Order of the Legion of Honour, organizing the medal criteria and establishing education houses for daughters of Legionnaires.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Père Lachaise Cemetery (Division 28)
Paris, France

                         GPS: 48.8617, 2.3944                    

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