Famous People Who Died In 1829

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States who signed the famous Paris Treaty, John Jay was best known as the first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, although he occupied various other important public positions. He was a diplomat, who shaped his country’s foreign policy. He passed legislation to gradually abolish slavery, but he himself owned five enslaved people.

French biologist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck acquired his love for plants while serving as a soldier in the French army. Following an injury, he quit his military career but retained his love for botany. He later taught zoology, studied the classification of invertebrates, and also coined the term biology.

Born to a pastor, Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel first showcased his mathematical skills in his cathedral school and later became a pioneer of various mathematical concepts. He died of tuberculosis, amid poverty, before he could learn that he had been appointed to teach at the University of Berlin.

Often referred as The Last Man Who Knew Everything, British polymath Thomas Young made significant contributions to a wide range of subjects like vision, light, energy, musical harmony etc. Especially famous for Wave Theory of Light, he also made significant contribution in deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Young-Helmholtz theory, Young temperament and Young's Modulus carry his legacy to these days.

Elizabeth Freeman was an African American midwife and herbalist. She is best remembered as the first enslaved African American person to win a freedom suit in Massachusetts. After gaining her freedom, Elizabeth Freeman became widely known for her skills as a midwife, nurse, and healer.

Regarded as one of the most significant composers of eighteenth century France, François-Joseph Gossec began his career under Jean-Philippe Rameau, determined to revive the study of instrumental music in France. Although he is mainly remembered for his experiments in symphonies and chamber works, he also wrote numerous operas, string quartets and choral works, successfully leaving his influence on French music.

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. 

Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg was the Duchess of Teschen from 1822 to 1829 through her marriage to Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen. The marriage, which was considered a happy one, produced seven children. Henrietta is credited with popularizing the Christmas tree in Vienna. She died at the age of 32 after contracting scarlet fever. 

Maria Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Massa was the wife of Archduke Ferdinand, who was the son of Maria Theresa, the Empress of Austria. Her marriage was a political alliance, aiming at strengthening bonds between Austria and Italy. She and Ferdinand formed the House of Austria-Este.

John M. Mason was an American theologian and preacher who served as the Provost of Columbia College in the 1810s. In the early-1820s, he also served as the president of Dickinson College. An excellent orator, John M. Mason served as a pastor for 17 years.

Best remembered for his invention of the Davy lamp, a safety lamp for miners, Humphry Davy initially aspired to be a doctor but later deviated to chemistry. The Copley Medal winner had co-founded the Zoological Society of London. He also excelled in writing poetry and loved fishing.

Russian playwright Alexandr Griboyedov is best remembered for his comedy Gore ot uma, or Woe from Wit. He participated in the Decembrist revolt and even got arrested once. He was the Russian Ambassador to Iran and died at the hands of an Iranian mob during an attack on the embassy.

Japanese Rinpa artist Sakai Hōitsu of the late Tokugawa-period is noted for reviving the style and popularity of Ogata Kōrin. Hōitsu replicated several paintings of Kōrin and made Kōrin’s work popular, organizing first exhibition of the latter’s paintings at his hundredth death anniversary. Noted works of Hōitsu include Flowering Plants of Summer and Autumn and Wind God and Thunder God.

Initially a carpenter, Thomas Tredgold later began working with his architect uncle in London. There, he learned architecture, engineering, and French. The self-made man is best known for his book Elementary Principles of Carpentry, which later became a classic. He is also known to have laid down the standard definition of civil engineering.