Photographic credit: Bibliothèque de l’Institut de France

Calendar of Condorcet’s academic attendance

This calendar of Condorcet’s attendance at the Académie des sciences was established on the model of the one compiled for D’Alembert.

Condorcet’s attendance at the Académie des Sciences from 1769 to 1791 has mainly been established on the basis on the manuscript lists contained in the minutes of the Registry of the sittings of the Académie des Sciences. In cases when the registry is missing, incomplete or obviously erroneous, Condorcet’s presence can be documented on the basis of the minutes themselves, or of the presence of handwritten notes in his hand in the corresponding registries of the sittings of the Académie des Sciences.

Some other sources, such as the files relating to the sittings, or private correspondence, have also been used.

Condorcet could not take his seat before March 8, 1769 (he had been elected in mechanics on February 28). He may of course have attended earlier sessions as a member of the public.

The last sitting that can be documented is September 6, 1791. On November 26, a letter from him was read, in which he asked his colleagues to “name one of the members to fulfil the functions his membership of the Académie requires for the duration of the current Legislature” [“Suite de l’année 1791”, Registres des séances de l’Académie des sciences, p. 31]. Fourcroy was elected. Even though Condorcet remained Perpetual Secretary of the Académie des Sciences throughout 1792 and 1793, we have not included any registry for these years.

Similar remarks can be made regarding Condorcet’s attendance at the Académie française: his presence being last documented on 25 August 1791. Condorcet had been made a member of the Académie française on January 10, 1782 and took his seat from February 21 (dates for January and February are indicated in the registry).

Condorcet’s attendance has been established on the basis of a printed source, Les registres de l’Académie françoise – 1762-1793, t. III (1751-1793), Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1895, p. 504-648. It is based on the register of deliberations and the register “concerning the distribution of attendance tokens”.

REGISTRY BY YEAR (PDF format)

1769	1770	1771	1772	1773	1774
1775	1776	1777	1778	1779	1780
1781	1782	1783	1784	1785	1786
1787	1788	1789	1790	1791

Last update on Wednesday 6 January 2021 (12:53) by Nicolas Rieucau