Jean Luzac

Johan Luzac (also Joan, Jean, Joannis ) (* 7 or August 2, 1746 in Leiden, † January 12, 1807 ) was a Dutch lawyer, journalist and professor of Greek and history.

Life

His Huguenot ancestors came from France. His eponymous father was an owner of a printing at Leyden.

After completing his studies at Ludwig Kaspar Valckenaer and David Ruhnken he struck out the chairs offered in Groningen and Leiden for Legal Studies and Greek and moved instead into the resin in order to devote himself to legal practice.

In 1772, he returned to Leiden and participated in the publication of his uncle Stephan Luzac († 1787, originally theologian ), founded in Leyden newspaper part. After his death, he took over the editorship. In the years after the French Revolution, he was the most influential editor in the Western world. His Gazette de Leyde (actually: Nouvelles Extraordinaires de Divers Endroits ) was the opinion-forming newspapers in Europe.

His second daughter, Emilie, married Wybo Fijnje.

After Valckenaers death he took over the Chair of Greek language and officiated 1794/95 as rector of the university. He was also a professor of patriotic history. This brought him, however, in the emerging in the 1790s in Holland unrest hostilities, so that he gave up the chairs and the publication of his newspaper until 1800. He then devoted himself philological studies and the publication of several left by his teacher Valckenaer writings. When peace was restored in 1802, the the Netherlands, he received his former employment at the University again.

Luzac died in the great explosion of a powder ship in port, in which eight blocks were destroyed and 155 people died.