Famous People Born In 1790

The tenth president of the United States, John Tyler was dubbed His Accidency as he became the president after the sudden death of President William Henry Harrison when the former was serving as the vice president. Tyler's acceptance of full presidential powers set a prominent precedent and served as a model for succession to the future presidents.

George Everest was a British geographer and surveyor. From 1830 to 1843, he served as Surveyor General of India. His work and contributions were honored by naming Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, after him.

Jean-François Champollion was a French orientalist, philologist, and scholar. A founding figure of Egyptology, Champollion is credited with deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphs, which paved the way for several research and studies in the field of Egyptology. Not surprisingly, Champollion is often referred to as the Founder and Father of Egyptology.  

French poet and historian Alphonse de Lamartine is best remembered for his collection of poems Méditations poétiques. He was a chief force behind the formation of the Second Republic of France. The allowances he gave his sisters depleted his finances, and he died struggling and in oblivion.

Jules Dumont d'Urville was a French naval officer and explorer best remembered for exploring the western and south Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, and Antarctica. Jules Dumont d'Urville was also a cartographer and botanist; he is credited with naming several plants, seaweeds, and shrubs.

Mexican revolutionary leader and liberal reformer Juan Álvarez was a mestizo landowner who later fought in the Mexican War of Independence and led the revolution supporting the Plan de Ayutla. He also became the provisional president of Mexico after the fall of Mexican general Santa Anna.

English legal theorist John Austin, who aimed at transforming law into a true science, is considered by many as creator of the school of analytical jurisprudence. His book The Province of Jurisprudence Determined received significant attention posthumously, while his analytical approach to jurisprudence and theory of legal positivism also influenced American and British law following his death.

Gideon Mantell was a British geologist, obstetrician, and palaeontologist. Mantell's attempt to reconstruct the structure of Iguanodon started the scientific study of dinosaurs. He is also credited with discovering the first fossil teeth of Iguanodon. Subsequently, Gideon Mantell went on to discover and identify much of the skeleton of Iguanodon.

William Wentworth was an Australian explorer, pastoralist, newspaper editor, politician, lawyer, and author. He was one of the most powerful and wealthiest figures of New South Wales. William Wentworth is credited with founding the Australian Patriotic Association, which is regarded as the first political party in Australia. 

Born to a vicar, Nassau William Senior received elite education at Eton and Oxford. A qualified lawyer, he later deviated to economics. He later became Oxford’s first Drummond professor of political economy. As a Whig advisor, he formulated the New Poor Law and helped in setting up various economic policies.

João Carlos de Saldanha Oliveira e Daun, 1st Duke of Saldanha was a Portuguese statesman and marshal. From 1820 until his death in 1876, Saldanha was one of the most influential personalities of politics and war in Portugal. He also played an important role in the Liberal Wars and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1825.

Best remembered as the author of the Hungarian national anthem, Ferenc Kölcsey was orphaned and even lost an eye in childhood. Though a trained lawyer, he later focused on reviving Hungarian literature. He had also been part of the Hungarian Diet, as a prominent liberal leader.

Carsten Hauch was a Danish poet, novelist, and dramatist. Although he had the option to quit writing when his works were attacked and criticized and focus solely on the study of science—he had a doctors degree in zoology—Carsten Hauch chose not to give up writing and went on to establish himself as a well-known novelist and dramatist.

Marshall Hall was an English physician, neurologist, and physiologist. He is credited with contributing immensely to the theory of reflex arc. Hall also wrote many books on neurological diseases, such as epilepsy and apoplexy (stroke). An ardent supporter of the abolitionist movement, Marshall Hall was inducted into the American Philosophical Society (APS) in 1853.

British economist of the English historical school of economics and clergyman Richard Jones remained instrumental in founding the Statistical Society of London (now Royal Statistical Society) and played an active part in the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. He criticised the Ricardian system in his major work Essay on the Distribution of Wealth and on the Sources of Taxation.

Apart from being a clergyman, Robert Stirling was also an inventor and engineer, who created the famed Stirling engine. He was posthumously named to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. His inventions also included optical devices. While his grandfather invented the threshing machine, his father, too, made agricultural machinery.

José Antonio Páez was a Venezuelan political leader who served as the President of Venezuela on three occasions; from 1830 to 1835, 1839 to 1843, and 1861 to 1863. He played an important role during the Venezuelan War of Independence, in which he supported Simón Bolívar and fought against the Spanish Crown. Later, Páez spearheaded Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia.

Lutheran minister and naturalist John Bachman is best known for his collaboration with John James Audubon to create a text on North American birds and mammals. His The Unity of the Human Race stated all humas arise from a single species. He preached to all, including African-American slaves.