Turgot, Anne Robert Jacques 1727-81
French economist and politician

Born in Paris of Norman ancestry, he was destined for the church but became a lawyer. Appointed intendant of Limoges in 1761, he introduced many reforms, including the abolition of compulsory labour on roads and bridges. Soon after the accession of Louis XVI (1774) he was appointed Comptroller-General of Finance and at once he began to introduce wide reforms. He reduced expenditure and increased public revenue without imposing new taxes, established free trade in grain within France and removed the fiscal barriers between the provinces. He abolished the exclusive privileges of trade corporations and sought to break down the immunity from taxation enjoyed by the privileged classes, who pressed for his dismissal. Turgot was removed from office after only 20 months. He then occupied himself with literature and science until his death. His chief work, Reflexions sur la formation et la distribution des richesses (1766, Eng trans Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth), was the best outcome of the Physiocratic school (founded by Fran�ois Quesnay) and largely anticipated Adam Smith.