Famous People Born In 1763

Initially a lawyer, Wolfe Tone later ditched his practice to co-establish the Society of United Irishmen, aimed at ending the British reign in Ireland. A prominent face of the Irish Rebellion, he led French forces into Ireland during the 1798 rebellion. Sentenced to be hanged, he later slit his own throat and died.

Polish military general Józef Antoni Poniatowski was initially part of the Austrian army and was later drafted into the Polish army on the instructions of his uncle, King Stanisław II August Poniatowski. Best remembered for his exploits in the Napoleonic Wars, he was later made a marshal but drowned after being wounded.

José Bonifácio de Andrada was a Brazilian statesman. He was also a naturalist, mineralist, and professor. He was a significant proponent of Brazilian independence and also spearheaded the abolition project in Brazil. He was of the opinion that a new national capital should be created in Brazil's underdeveloped interior. As a naturalist, he discovered four new minerals. 

Louis Nicolas Vauquelin was a French chemist and pharmacist. He is best known for his discoveries of chromium and beryllium. He worked as an assistant in the laboratory of chemist  A. F. Fourcroy and later obtained the post of laboratory assistant at the Jardin du Roi. He eventually became a  professor at the University of Paris. 

François de Charette was a Breton soldier and politician who played an important role during the American Revolutionary War, serving in the French Royal Navy. He was one of the leaders of the War in the Vendée and fought against the revolutionary regime. His life inspired the creation of Le Dernier Panache at a theme park named Puy du Fou.

Best known for designing government buildings, Charles Bulfinch was also the first American-born architect. Educated at Harvard, he was later influenced by Neoclassical art. His designs included the Massachusetts State House and the Maine Capitol. He was also one of the architects of the United States Capitol.

Jean Paul was a German writer best remembered for his humorous stories and novels. While many of his fans hold him in high regard, his critics treat his work with indifference. Due to such a disparity, Paul holds an unusual position in German literary history. Robert Schumann admired Jean Paul's works, which served as an inspiration to the former's Papillons. 

Pierre Gaspard Chaumette was a French politician who played a prominent role during the French Revolution. Chaumette played a key role in the inception of the Reign of Terror during which he was serving as the president of the Paris Commune. A vehement critic of Christianity, Chaumette led the dechristianization of France during the revolution.

Nineteenth-century Japanese haiku poet Kobayashi Issa, or Issa, who had penned more than 20,000 haiku, remains one of the Great Four haiku masters of his country. Known for his simple and lucid language, he mostly wrote about the common man. He is also said to have originated the Japanese I novel.

Edmond-Charles Genêt was a French diplomat sent to the United States of America during the French Revolution. His activities upon his arrival in USA led to the major political incident which came to be known as the Citizen Genêt Affair. He married the daughter of an American politician and became a gentleman farmer. He never returned to France. 

Born to a poet, literati painter and poet Tani Bunchō was initially trained in the Kanō school of art. After learning the Hoku-ga, Nan-ga, and Yamato-e traditions, he established the Nanboku gōitsu school of art, stressing on Western principles. His works mostly consisted of landscapes and portraits.

Known for his patriotic poems, János Batsányi was stripped of his job of a treasury clerk and thrown into jail for his association with the conspiracy of Ignác Martinovics. A supporter of Napoleon, he was interned in Austria after Napoleon’s fall. On the Changes in France remains his best-known work.

James Geddes was an American engineer, surveyor, and U.S. Congressman. Geddes is credited with conceiving many canals in the United States, including the Erie Canal. He also played a key role in the development of Syracuse's salt industry at Onondaga Lake. Salina, New York, where James Geddes passed away, was renamed the Town of Geddes in his honor.