Biographical entry Laporte, François Louis (1810 - 1880)

Summary

François Louis Laporte was born in England and studied natural science in France. He worked as a diplomat in many of the French colonies and was appointed Consul-General for France in Melbourne (1864). He was an avid explorer and collector who travelled to the USA, Canada, South America, South Africa and Asia before arriving in Australia. He studied mainly insects and fish and many of his collected specimens are housed at the National Museum in Melbourne. Laporte was known by many pseudonyms including the all-encompassing François Louis Nompar de Caumont La Port Comte de Castelnau which is believed to be the name on his death certificate. He wrote over ninety books and articles in total under the names of Laporte, Delaporte and Castelnau.

Details

Events

1837 - 1841

Career position - Travelled to the USA (Texas) and Canada

1843 - 1847

Career position - Expedition from Rio de Janeiro to Lima to collect specimens from the Amazon River

1848 - 1856?

Career position - French consul at Bahia, Brazil

1856 - 1858

Career position - Expedition to South Africa and Asia

1862

Life event - Arrived in Australia (Melbourne)

1864 -

Career position - Consul-General for France, Melbourne

1876

Career position - Visits to Sydney and Brisbane

Published resources

Books

• Musgrave, A., Bibliography of Australian Entomology, 1775-1930, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales., Sydney, 1932, 380 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Whitley, G. P., 'Laporte, Francois Louis Nompar De Caumont, Comte De Castelnau (1810-1880), naturalist and diplomat', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 5, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1974, pp. 64-65. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A050073b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Whitley, G. P., 'Francois Laporte, Count Castelnau, 1810-1880 [includes bibliography of writings]', Australian Zoologist, vol. 13, no. 2, 1965, pp. 93-102. Details