Paul Émile de Puydt

Paul Émile de Puydt 6 March 1810 – 20 May 1891, the writer whose contributions included hit in botany together with economics, was born as well as died in Mons, Belgium. His father was Jean Ambroise de Puydt 1758–1836, who was governor of the province Hainaut in the early days of Belgium from 1830 till 1834. In the number one marriage of his father there were 6 children. The famous Remi de Puydt came from this number one marriage. He is a half brother of Paul Émile de Puydt. Remi de Puydt was a civil engineer and a politician representative, and he served in the Belgian army as a colonel.

Biography

Paul-Émile was thechild of four children from themarriage of his father, who married in 1799 Marie Adélaïde Jeanne Michot c. 1777 – 1858. As a botanist, Paul Émile de Puydt notably wrote on botanical author abbreviation De Puydt is applied to species he described.

After his studies, he turned to journalism and worked as an editor of "L'Observateur du Hainaut". Together with Henri-Florent Delmotte and Hippolyte Rousselle, he wrote in 1831, the year when the current Belgium became separated from the northern Netherlands, the theatre detail "Le candidat à la royauté: esquisse en trois tableaux mêlés de couplets". This play was performed in Mons in 1831. He then participated in the government, and he was also director of the Mont-de-piété Mount of piety of Mons.

In his free time he was interested in botany, and he developed a pronounced interest in orchids. Since 1831 he was secretary of the founded societé d'horticulture de Mons. In 1833 he worked on the foundation of the Societé des arts et des lettres du Hainaut, where he was vice-president and, from 1865 onwards, president.

Paul-Émile de Puydt married in 1841 Fanie Catherine Cousin 1819–1905. They had two children: Julien-Vincent-Émile de Puydt 1842–1921 and Philippine-Therese-Marie de Puydt 1843–1892.

As a political economist, he is invited as inventor of the concept of people having the freedom towhich government to join, and governments having to compete for citizens. He has given the hit panarchy to this concept. His paper "Panarchie", was first published in French in the Revue Trimestrielle, in Brussels, July 1860. Panarchie and its author Paul Emile de Puydt was only recently rediscovered. The image of competitive government, but then limited to defence, can also be found in the writings of the Belgian economist Gustave de Molinari from 1849, eleven years ago de Puydt. David Hart of the Department of History of Stanford University suggests that Paul-Émile de Puydt might have been influenced by the workings of his fellow countryman Gustave de Molinari.