DUPIN

FRANCE (see also List of Individuals)

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6.10.1784 Varzy/F - 18.1.1873 Paris/F

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Charles Dupin graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in 1803 and was placed in the prestigious Marine Corps of the French Navy. Following the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, the Russians left the Ionian Islands to France. Dupin was among the small control troop; he pursued research in mathematics and founded an Ionian Academy but left some years later because of political changes. Back in Paris in 1812, Dupin continued researches in descriptive geometry and published his 1813 book. Following this successful work, Dupin was elected Corresponding Member of Académie des Sciences and only four years later became a Member. In 1814, Dupin left for Toulon first and then for Lyon to continue with a military career. He was sent after Napoleon's fall to England to study military developments, the results of which were published in his 1818 report. In 1820, Dupin was among the founders of Ecole Centrale des Arts et Métiers, where he was appointed professor of mechanics. He adapted to the political changes and survived the 1830 and the 1848 Revolutions. He was awarded Commander of Légion d'Honneur in 1831 and was in 1834 Minister of the French Marine. He was also a Senator of the Second Empire under Napoleon III.

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Dupin was a great engineer, scientist and politician. In hydromechanics, his researches on the stability of ships have received attention, and further topics in mechanics were described in his 1825 book. For Dupin, education of interested people was of major importance. The Ecole des Arts et Métiers was an institution where courses were taught free for everybody, following one of the principles of the French Revolution. His large personal library was left to his hometown Varzy.

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_{Belhoste, B., Masson, F., Picon, A. (1994). Dupin. Le Paris des polytechniciens. Paris. P}

_{Dupin, C. (1813). Développements de la géométrie, avec applications à la stabilité des vaisseaux, aux déblais et remblais, au défilement et à l'optique. Courcier: Paris.}

_{Dupin, C. (1818). Mémoires sur la marine et les ponts et chaussées de France et d'Angleterre, contenant deux relations de voyage faits par l'auteur dans les ports. Bachelier: Paris.}

_{Dupin, C. (1825). Géométrie et mécanique des arts et métiers et des beaux-arts. Bachelier: Paris.}

_{Fontanon, C., Grelon, A. (1994). Dupin, Pierre-Charles-François. Les professeurs du Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers 1: 469-478. P}

_{Legoyt, A. (1856). Dupin, Baron Ch. Nouvelle biographie générale 15: 316-326. Didot: Paris.}

_{Morin, A.-J. (1873). Discours prononcé aux funérailles de M. le Baron Charles Dupin. Annales du Conservatoire Impérial des Arts et Métiers 10: 233-243.}