Charles xavier thomas colmar biography

Introduction

In the history of computing and mechanical calculation, few figures loom as large as Thomas de Colmar.

Born Charles Xavier Thomas in Colmar, France, on May 5, 1785, he would later adopt the name Thomas de Colmar in honor of his birthplace. A brilliant inventor and astute businessman, Thomas de Colmar left an indelible mark on the worlds of technology and insurance through his groundbreaking invention, the Arithmometer, and the establishment of two major insurance companies that revolutionized the French insurance industry.

Early Life and Education

Thomas de Colmar was born into a family of distinguished medical professionals.

Charles xavier thomas de colmar

His father, Joseph-Antoine Thomas, was a physician who studied medicine at the University of Freiburg before settling in Colmar. Thomas‘s mother, Françoise-Xavière Entzlen (Anselin), hailed from Carlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg.

The Thomas family had originally migrated to Alsac