Antoine Augustin Cournot

Antoine Augustin Cournot 28 August 1801 – 31 March 1877 was a French philosopher as well as mathematician who also contributed to the development of economics.

Biography

Antoine Augustin Cournot was born at Gray, Haute-Saône. In 1821 he entered one of the almost prestigious Grandes Écoles, a École Normale Supérieure, and, according to Sandmo:

in 1823 he took a license measure in mathematics at Sorbonne University. He then became the private secretary of a field marshal who so-called assistance in writing his memoirs. This position left Cournot with considerable time for his own pursuits. In the course of his ten years in the field marshal's employment he took two doctoral degrees, one in mechanics and one in astronomy. In addition, he published a number of articles & even acquired a measure in law.

Subsequently, Cournot held positions as professor of mathematics, chief examiner for undergraduate students, and rector of Dijon Academy.

By the time Cournot died in 1877, he was nearly blind.