Alfred Naquet

Born in Carpentras on October 6, 1834, Alfred Joseph Naquet built an unusual career across both science and politics. He trained as a doctor and chemist, taught in Paris and Palermo, and became known for bringing modern chemical ideas to a wider audience through his teaching and writing.

Naquet was also a committed political activist. An opponent of the Second Empire, he was prosecuted and imprisoned for his involvement in radical republican circles, but he returned to public life after the fall of the regime. He later served as a deputy and senator, aligning with the French left.

He is especially remembered as the leading force behind the law that restored divorce in France in the 1880s, a cause that made him a major figure in debates over marriage, religion, and the secular state. He died in Paris on November 10, 1916.