Famous People Who Died In 1830

Joseph Fourier was a French physicist and mathematician best remembered for commencing the investigation of the Fourier series, which is used widely to solve problems of heat transfer and vibrations. Fourier's law of conduction and Fourier transform are named in his honor. Fourier is also said to have discovered the greenhouse effect.

Regarded as the first gentleman of England, King George IV of the United Kingdom saw his empire consolidating its position as the global hegemon, particularly after the Napoleonic Wars. His regency during the illness of his father and then his 10-year reign were marked by royal extravagance. 

English essayist and critic William Hazlitt is remembered for his characteristic humanism in his works. Initially aspiring to be a painter, he traveled to Paris but later deviated to philosophy and metaphysics. Though he penned iconic works such as The Spirit of the Age, he spent his later life in oblivion.

James Armistead Lafayette was an enslaved African American. He is best remembered for his service in the Continental Army during the famous American Revolutionary War, where he worked under the command of a French aristocrat and military officer named Lafayette. He worked as a double agent, feeding the British with wrong information and disclosing accurate information to the Americans.

Antonio José de Sucre was a Venezuelan political leader who served as the President of Peru from 23 June to 17 July 1823. He also served as the second president of Bolivia from 29 December 1825 to 18 April 1828. Antonio José de Sucre also played an influential role as an independence leader through his work alongside Simón Bolívar.

Considered the founder of operative gynecology, Ephraim McDowell was also the first person to perfect lithotomy, a surgical technique for removing stones obstructing urinary bladder. He came to limelight when he successfully removed a 20-pound tumor from Jane Todd Crawford’s ovary, later performing twelve more ovariotomies, out of which seven were successful, thus demonstrating the viability of elective abdominal surgery.

James Rennell was an English historian and geographer. A pioneer of oceanography, Rennell is often referred to as the Father of Oceanography. Rennell, who served as a Surveyor General of Bengal, India, is credited with producing some of the earliest accurate maps of Bengal. James Rennell is also credited with co-founding the Royal Geographical Society in London in 1830.

Swiss-French activist and author Benjamin Constant is best remembered for penning the classic French novel Adolphe, which was one of the earliest psychological novels. Initially the chamberlain to the duke of Brunswick, he later supported the French Revolution and became a Member of the Chamber of Deputies.

Legendary heroine of the American Revolutionary War, Nancy Hart was a skilled frontierswoman and herbalist from Georgia. Folklore has it that she was a 6-feet tall, muscular, red-headed woman, known as “war woman” to the locals. She is said to have fought and spied dressed as a man.

Swaminarayan, also known as Sahajanand Swami, was an Indian yogi and ascetic. He is credited to have revived several central Hindu practices of dharma, ahimsa, and brahmacharya. He was initiated into the tradition of Uddhav Sampradaya by his guru and later became the leader of the tradition. He also undertook reforms for women and the poor. 

Swiss folklorist and writer Johann Rudolf Wyss is best remembered for editing his father’s 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson. While he initially taught philosophy and then worked as a librarian, he later devoted himself to collecting folk tales. He also penned Rufst du, mein Vaterland, the previous Swiss national anthem.

Though a qualified lawyer, József Katona later gained fame as one of Hungary’s most renowned playwrights. His historical tragedy Bánk bán, which was his entry for a contest, was chiefly ignored, and this made him turn to law and work as an attorney general. The tragedy eventually gained popularity after his death.  

Christian Magnus Falsen was a Norwegian statesman, jurist, constitutional father, and historian. One of the most prominent members of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly, Christian Magnus Falsen is best remembered for his contribution as a co-writer of the Constitution of Norway.