FRANÇOIS GONNESSIAT: UN CANDIDATO IDEAL PARA APOYAR A LA MISIÓN GEODÉSICA FRANCESA EN ECUADOR

Abstract

The essay presents an approach to the Second French Geodetic Mission carried out in Ecuador between 1901-1906. For the execution of this scientific presence, of great international interest, previous in- tergovernmental procedures were carried out in 1899, between the French charge d’affaires, Hipólito Frandin, and the president of Ecuador Eloy Alfaro, who to grant the total administration of the As- tronomical Observatory of Quito, France had to bear the costs of the astronomer’s installation.

This essay provides interesting insights into the life of a young astronomer scientist who participated in the organization of the Lyon laboratory and, for his work and experience in high precision astron- omy, in 1889, he obtained the Lalande Prize awarded by the Acad- emy of Sciences of Paris and in 1894 the international recognition, therefore, and with this background, Gonnessiat, turned out to be the ideal candidate to launch the observatory bought from France at the time of the presidential administration of García Moreno. The essay addresses the work of this character as a scientist and as sup- port in some of the administrative processes of the Mission before the Ecuadorian authorities.