CHAPTAL,
Jean Antoine Claude, COMTE DE CH ANTELOUP, French chemist and statesman: b. Nogaret, Lozere, 4 June 1756; d. Paris, 30 July 1832. During his medical studies and practice he devoted much research to the science of chemistry, in which he soon became eminent, and was appointed professor at Mont pellier, where he taught successfully the doc trines of Black, Lavoisier and Cavendish. He established chemical works near Montpellier, the first attempted of the kind, by which he was soon enabled to produce various chemicals hitherto imported, such as the min eral acids, alum, soda and salts of lead. The authorities of Languedoc heaped honors on him; the Spanish government offered him a pension of 56,000 francs to go to Spain, and according to his biographer, Washington wrote three times to Chaptal, inviting him to America. After the outbreak of the French Revolution he published a political pamphlet, entitled
Lucien Bonaparte resigned the portfolio of the interior, Chaptal took his place as minister, and for four years performed the duties of the department with much administrative ability. He founded the conservatory, school of arts, chambers of commerce and society for en couragement of industry, introduced the mod ern French system of weights and measures, established a model farm and a system of dis tribution of agricultural seeds, reorganized the prisons and hospitals, extended the network of highways over the face of the country and organized the carrying out of the plans of ex tension of the Louvre and rues de Rivoli and Castiglione, since completed by Napoleon III. On Napoleon's return from Elba, the Count was appointed director-general of commerce and manufactures and Minister of State. Louis XVIII struck him from the list of peers, but left him on the roll of the Academy. His works are all on chemical subjects, and may yet be consulted with advantage.