QUETELET, LAMBERTADOLPHEJACQUES

(1796-1874)

A mathematician, astronomer, sociologist, and statistician, Adolphe Quetelet was born in Ghent on 22 February 1796. A brilliant student, he earned a doctorate in mathematics at the University of Ghent and, in October 1819, he occupied the chair in elementary mathematics at theAthenée de Bruxelles. He was instrumental in establishing an astronomical observatory in Brussels, which was founded in 1826. He was named director in 1828. Keen to observe, measure, and record, Quetelet studied shooting stars and made detailed investigations in physics and meteorology. He also undertook a study of rates of births and deaths in Brussels in the 1820s. In June 1836, he marked out the meridian in the pavement of the south transept of the Cathédrale desSaints-Michel-et-Gudulein defining the north/south longitude of Brussels.

Quetelet played a prominent role in convening the first international congress of statistics, held at Brussels in September 1853, at which he presided. He died in Brussels on 17 February 1874. A statue of Quetelet stands in the garden of thePalais des Académies.