| Claude-François Achard | |
| Birth Date: | 23 May 1751 |
| Birth Place: | Marseille, France |
| Death Place: | Marseille, France |
| Education: | University of Avignon |
| Occupation: | Physician, author |
Claude-François Achard (1751–1809) was a French physician and author. He was the founder of the first public library in Marseille. He was the author of several books, including the first French-Provençal dictionary.
Claude-François Achard was born on 23 May 1751 in Marseille, France.[1] [2] [3] He was raised as a Roman Catholic.[2] He was educated in Montpellier, and he earned a doctorate in medicine from the University of Avignon in 1772.[1] [3]
Achard started his career as a physician in Aubagne from 1772 to 1775.[1] He subsequently practised medicine in Marseille, and he became a member of the Société Royale de médecine de Paris in 1785.[2]
Achard was also the author of several non-fiction books. For example, he wrote the first French-Provençal dictionary.[2] He became a member of the Académie de Marseille in 1786.[3]
Achard began collecting books from Catholic schools and monasteries closed down during the French Revolution in 1790.[1] By 1793, he was a founder of the first public library in Marseille,[1] based in the Couvent des Bernardines.[2]
Achard was a Freemason.[1] He spearheaded the growth of Freemasonry in Marseille during the French Consulate, and he reopened a lodge known as "La Triple union".[1]
Achard died on 29 September 1809 in Marseille.[1] [2] [3] The Rue Achard in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille was named in his honor.[4]