De Saussure family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Arrival in Switzerland
1556, Lausanne - 469 years ago
- Arrival in United States
1730, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. - 295 years ago
- State legislator
- General
- Colonel
| De Saussure family | |
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| Patrician family | |
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| Place of origin | Saulxures, Lorraine, France |
| Founded |
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The De Saussure family is a family from the Geneva patriciate of Huguenot origins hailing from Lorraine, France but being settled in Switzerland since 1556. An American branch was established in South Carolina in the 18th century by Henri de Saussure; among his descendants were Chancellor Henry William de Saussure and US Senator William F. De Saussure.[1][2]
Swiss branch
In Switzerland, as well as in the Republic of Geneva, they soon became politically and socio-economically active holding a variety of public offices. Théodore de Saussure became the mayor of Geneva, his son Nicolas de Saussure (1709-1791), a politician and agronomist.[3]
Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740 – 1799), an 18th century naturalist, was probably the most notable, his portrait was on the 20 Swiss Francs bill series which were in circulation from 1979 to 1995.[4] His daughter Albertine Necker de Saussure (1766-1841) became an advocate for women s education and his son Nicolas Théodore de Saussure (1767 – 1845) a plant physiologist.
His grandson was Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure (1829 –1905) an entomologist and mineralist.
His 4 great-grandsons were: Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), an important linguist and semiotician.[5] followed by Horace de Saussure (1859-1926) a painter, their younger brother Léopold de Saussure (1866-1925) a sinologist and their youngest brother René de Saussure (1868 –1943) was a mathematician and Esperantist.
A 21st century descendant of this branch, is Jacques de Saussure, who was a part-owner in private bank Pictet Group and current[when?] owner of the hôtel particulier of the family.[6]