SANSON, NICOLAS, said to be the creator of French geography, was born at Abbeville, December the 20th, 1600. He was educated at the Jesuits' College at Amiens, and afterwards devoted much of his attention to the study of geography, a pursuit of which his father is said to have been particularly fond. At the age of sixteen, young Sanson laid down a map of ancient Gaul, said to be superior to those of Ortelius and Mercator. Having married early, he applied himself to commerce; but, devoting too much attention to his favourite pursuits, his affairs soon became embarrassed, and he gave up his ledgers for ever. Visiting Paris in 1627, and taking with him his map of Gaul, he had the good fortune to attract the notice of Louis XIII., who not only took lessons from him in geography, but made him engineer of Picardy. His duties in the latter
Sansovino position did not interfere with his zeal for geography. He settled in Paris in 1640, where he published numerous maps, together with illustrative volumes. Sanson was made geographer to the king, received a royal pension, and was chosen a councillor of state; but did not assume the rank, lest, it is said, his children should abandon the favourite pursuit of their father. His death, which happened at Paris on July 7, 1667, was induced by the incessant labours to which his devotion to geographical science subjected him.
Sanson, although a zealous geographer, is said by Langruer to have constructed very indifferent maps, and it is well known he was but an indifferent critic; but he had the merit of originating the art, and left subsequent geographers to carry out that which he had so well begun.