Paulze, Jacques

Antoine Laurent Lavoisier and his wife Marie-Anne Pierrette, nee Paulze, the father figure (joined by a mother figure) of modem chemistry. Painted in 1788 by Jacques-Louis David. 

Talented though he was, Lavoisier, like other scientists of the time, had to finance his own experiments. In an effort to achieve financial security, he made one of the best and one of the worst moves of his life He used his inheritance from his mother to purchase membership in a tax-collecting firm. Why this was one of his worst moves, we shall presently see. It was one of his best moves because he met Jacques Paulze, another tax collector, and his 13-year-old daughter, Marie. Marie Paulze was to became Lavoisier s wife before she turned 14. 

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