Jorge Juan y Santacilia

Jorge Gaspar Juan y Santacilia was a Spanish naval officer, mathematician, scientist, astronomer and engineer. He is generally regarded as one of the most important scientific figures of the Enlightenment in Spain. As a military officer, he undertook sensitive diplomatic missions for the Spanish crown and contributed to the modernization and professionalization of the Spanish Navy. In his lifetime, he came to be known as el sabio español. His career as a public servant constitutes an important chapter in the Bourbon Reforms of the 18th century.