Theodore de Saussure

Theodore de Saussure was born on April 23 1674, in the Saint Gervais area of Geneva, Switzerland. He was the son of Cesar de Saussure and wife Anne Catherine Lullin. He was a magistrate in Geneva, rising to the level of the Council of Twenty-Five in 1721 and Syndic in 1734. He died in Geneva in 1750

On Christmas Eve, 1702, Theodore married Marie Mallet at the St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva. Marie (1678-1741) was the daughter of Jean Mallet, a prestigious private banker in Geneva, and his wife Catherine Croppet. They had six children, but only three reached maturity. Five months after Marie's death, he married Judith Rigot. They had a daughter, also named Judith.

The beginning of the 18th century was a time of prosperity, both for Geneva and for the de Saussure family. Theodore's uncle, Jean-Antoine Lullin, built what was considered the grandest house in Geneva, completed in 1707, but never lived in it. He died on his way home from Paris in that year. He also had a summer villa near Genthod, "Creaux de Genthod," about four miles from Geneva. Theodore, while quite successful in life, did not have the fortune his uncle had. He built a grand home for his family, too, completed in 1708, in Frontenex, on the outskirts of Geneva.

In 1709, there was a financial crisis that ruined a number of the private banks, including the Lullin bank. Rev. Ami Lullin stepped in, even though he was not trained to be a banker, and salvaged the bank and the family's reputation. By Ami's death in 1756, he had also rebuilt the family's fortune. leaving a large estate to his daughter. Her daughter married Theodore's grandson, Horace-Benedict de Saussure, the noted naturalist.

Geneva experienced a period of social unrest about 1738. Previously, only members of the bourgeoisie had the right to vote. Many of the first wave of Huguenot immigrants had been granted that status. However, the later wave, after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, were still treated as second-class citizens. They belong to a party known as the Natifs and this party aligned itself with the generally middle class "Repres." The opposing faction was composed of the wealthy and was known as the Negatifs, from their habitual refusal to grant more rights to the middle class. A compromise was reached in 1738 that lasted roughly twenty-five years. Theodore and his descendants were supporters of the Negatif pary.

Children of Theodore de Saussure and wife Anne Catherine Lullin:

• Jean de Saussure (1703-1704), died at age eight months
• Alexandrine de Saussure (1705-1710), died at age 5
• Marie de Saussure (1706-1708), died at age 12
• Jeanne Esther de Saussure (1708-1772)
• Nicolas de Saussure (1709-1791), married Renee de la Rive. Their son Horace-Benedict de Saussure became a noted naturalist.
• Judith de Saussure (1710-1802), married her cousin Georges de Saussure. Refer to discussion note on this profile for notes on Judith's parentage.

Links to additional material:

• http://www.wordnik.com/words/syndic
• http://gw3.geneanet.org/pierfit?lang=en;p=theodore;n=de+saussure;oc=2
• http://www.gen-gen.ch/de-SAUSSURE/Th%C3%A9odore/68919