Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot (Nolay, 13 May 1753 – Magdeburg, 2 August 1823)
Son of a lawyer and notary, he studied at Mézières and was promoted to captain in 1783. He was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly, then to the Convention, where he sat with the Mountain. A member of the Committee of Public Safety from 14 August 1793 to 6 October 1794, and then from 5 November 1794 to 5 March 1795. He was in charge of military affairs. He was promoted to battalion chief in 1795. Member of the Directory from 5 November 1795, member of the Institut in 1796, he was sentenced to deportation with the coup of 18 fructidor (4 September 1797). He fled, but was authorised to go back to France after Brumaire. He was War Minister from 2 April to 8 October 1800, and a member of the Tribunat from 1802 to 1807. He retired, then offered his services to Napoleon, who made him a lieutenant general and governor of Antwerp on 25 February 1814. During the Hundred Days he was appointed Home Minister, count of the Empire and a Peer of France. Exiled by regulation 24 July 1815. He is famous for his work on mathematics, physics and geometry: Carnot, Lazare. 1783. Essai sur les machines en general. Dijon / Paris: imprimerie Defay / librairie Nyon l’aîné. Id. 1797. Réflexions sur la métaphysique du calcul infinitésimal. Paris: librairie Duprat. Id. 1803. Géométrie de position. Paris: imprimerie Crapelet, librairie J. B. M. Duprat. Id. 1806. Essai sur la théorie des transversales. Paris: Courcier. He wrote also on fortifications: Id. 1810. De la défense des places fortes. Ouvrage composé pour l’instruction des élèves du Corps du Génie. Paris: Courcier.