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Profile Author:
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Last Update:
2026-09-04
Status:
Under review
Mussard, Pierre (* 1690.09.17 † 1767.12.24)
Basic Overview Data
Born
1690.09.17, Geneva
Died
1767.12.24, Geneva
Confession
Protestant, Calvinist
Institutional Affiliation
Academy (University) of Geneva
Keywords
Calvinism, Burlamaqui
Important Family Relations
Father, Bénigne Mussard (1657 - 1722), professor of law at the Academy of Geneva
Biographical and Intellectual Profile
Biography
Pierre Mussard studied law at the Academy of Geneva and at the Universities of Halle and Valencia. He passed the official law exam in Geneva in 1717. At the instigation of his father Bénigne Mussard, he was appointed honorary professor of law at the Academy of Geneva in 1719. He resigned in 1722 in favour of a political career. The government then decided to create two law chairs for guaranteeing that natural law would henceforth be taught at the Academy. The two newly appointed professors were Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui and Jean Cramer. Mussard was elected to the Council of Two Hundred (1721), the Council of Sixty (1729) and the Small Council (1735). He served three times as syndic (1750-58) and once as first syndic (1762). During the political unrests in 1734-38, he participated in the committee appointed by the Genevan government to respond to the bourgeoisie's demand to restore the former prerogatives of the General Council of the republic. Together with Burlamaqui and Jacob de Chapeaurouge, he exercised a preponderant influence over the final report of the committee, which referred to the social contract theory in order to reject the demand.
Comment on main natural law works
No scholarly publications are known. The inaugural lecture on the use and excellence of natural law Mussard presented as honorary professor at the Academy was published in 1720.
Biographical Data
Education
../1717, Jurisprudence, Academy of Geneva
../1717, Jurisprudence, University of Halle
../1717, Jurisprudence, University of Valencia
Degrees
1717, Official law exam (in Geneva)
Career
1719 - 1722, honorary professor of law, Academy of Geneva
Titles, Memberships and Other Relevant Roles
1721, Member, Council of Two Hundred, Geneva
1729, Member, Council of Sixty, Geneva
1734 - 1738, Member, Commission of the Genevan government, Geneva
1736, Member, Small Council, Geneva
1750 - 1758, Syndic, Geneva (three times during this period)
1762, First Syndic, Geneva
Bibliographical Data
Printed Sources
Books
De usu et praestantia juris naturalis oratio inauguralis (Geneva: Fabri et Barillot, 1720).
Manuscript Sources
Manuscripts
-
Natural Law Network
Personal Connections
1690, Bénigne Mussard, Geneva [Bénigne Mussard was his father and predecessor on the chair of law.]
../1734, Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, Geneva [Pierre Mussard and Burlamaqui were members of the committee appointed by the Genevan government during the political unrests 1734-1738.]
References and Acknowledgement
Profile References
Literature
Borgeaud, Charles: Histoire de l'Université de Genève, vol. 1: L'Académie de Calvin (1559-1798) (Geneva: Georg, 1900), p. 509-510
Rosenblatt, Helena: Rousseau and Geneva: from the 'First Discourse' to the 'Social Contract', 1749-1762 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), see especially p. 133.
Online Resources
Rizzo, Salomon: "Mussard, Pierre" in Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse (DHS), version 10.02.2009: https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/fr/articles/025677/2009-02-10/
"Mussard, Pierre (1690-1767)" in Lumières.Lausanne: https://lumieres.unil.ch/fiches/bio/2918/?q=mussard
Zurbuchen, Simone: "Teaching the Law of Nature and Nations in the Swiss Context" in Etudes Lumières.Lausanne 6 (2018): http://lumieres.unil.ch/fiches/biblio/9472/
Acknowledgement
Profile Author:
Under Review