FONTANA, Gregorio, a profound mathematician and natural philosopher, younger brother of Felice Fontana, was born at Villa de Nogaroia, near Roveredo, on the 7th December 1735.
He received the first rudiments of his education at Roveredo, and continued his studies at Rome, where he entered into the Scolae Pie, and soon distinguished himself by his talents and assiduity. He was entrusted with the care of a part of the public instruction in the school called the Collegio Nazareno, and was soon afterwards sent as a professor to Sinigaglia. It was here that he formed an intimacy with the Marquis Fagnani, whose example and assistance contributed very much to the advancement of his mathematical studies, to which he very soon in a great measure confined his attention. He was then removed by his superiors to Bologna; but his co-operation was found more necessary for the pious schools which had lately been established at Milan, and he there obtained the patronage and friendship of the Count de Firmian, the Mæcenas of the day, who greatly encouraged the publication of his first works. From these works he acquired so much credit, that he was summoned in 1763 to occupy the chair of logic and metaphysics in the university of Pavia; and he was appointed by Firmian director of the public library which he founded about the same time for the university. Two years afterwards he was advanced to the professorship of the higher mathematics, which had become vacant by the death of the celebrated Boscovich, and he filled this situation with high reputation for thirty years. In April 1795 he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Society of London. About this time his health began to decline, and his physicians considered him as having suffered from too great application to his studies. In 1796 he received great marks of respect from Bonaparte, then commanding the French
Fontarabia army in Italy; and he was made a member of the legislative body of the newly erected Cisalpine republic. In 1800, having resigned the professorship at Pavia, he came to Milan, and was afterwards nominated one of the Electoral College of the Dotti. He was still occupied in a variety of literary pursuits, when he was attacked by a violent fever, which caused his death at Milan, on the 24th August 1803.
Fontana's principal publications were seven Academical Dissertations on various departments of mathematical and mechanical science; a great variety of papers in the Mémoire della Società Italiana delle Scienze; and numerous translations. (T. y.)