| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Argenson, Marc Pierre de Voyer de Paulmy, comte d’ |
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(märk py r d vwäy ´ d p m ´ kôNt därzhäNsôN´) (KEY) , 1696–1764, French statesman and patron of literature; younger brother of René Louis d’Argenson. As secretary of state for war (1743–57), he assisted Maurice de Saxe in reforming the army, especially the artillery, and founded the École militaire. He was also charged with administrative control of the city of Paris. The Champs Élysées and the Place de la Concorde were planned by him. He was a friend and patron of the philosophes, and Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert dedicated the Encyclopédie to him. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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