Gaston de Saporta

Biography

Early life

(Louis Charles Joseph) Gaston de Saporta born in the Château de Montvert in Saint-Zacharie, Var, on July 28, 1823. He was a member of the Provençal nobility. His father was Adolphe Charles François Anne de Saporta (1800-1879) and his mother, Irène Boyer de Fonscolombe de La Mole (1799-1879). He grew up in the Hôtel Boyer de Fonscolombe, a listed hôtel particulier at 21 Rue Gaston de Saporta in Aix-en-Provence, where he resided all his life.

Career

As a palaeobotanist, he was a follower of the theory of evolution and showed the transformation of plant species in different eras. He wrote many books about botany from the 1860s to the 1890s. He also corresponded with Charles Darwin. He became a member of the French Academy of Sciences. Moreover, he often visited the National Museum of Natural History in Paris to attend conferences, and paved the way for the inauguration of the Museum of Natural History in Aix-en-Provence.

Interested in the aristocracy, he also wrote a book about the family of Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné (1626-1696).

Personal life

He was married to Valentine de Forbin la Barben. He was widowed in 1850, and got remarried to Émilie de Gabrielli de Gubbio. They had a son, Antoine de Saporta (1855-1914), who became a writer.

He died in Aix-en-Provence on January 26, 1895.

Legacy

• The Rue Gaston de Saporta in Aix-en-Provence is named in his honour.