Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665)

Pierre de Fermat is known more for his contributions to number theory than his contributions to probability theory. For example, one of his major contributions is known as Fermat's Last Theorem, which was not proved until the late 20th century. However, David (1962) said of him, this quiet lawyer did more than any other Frenchman in helping the formulation of the theory of probability (p. 71).

Little is known of Fermat's early schooling. Fermat studied law, likely in Toulouse and Bordeaux. He became a lawyer in the local parliament in Toulouse and studied math as a hobby. He was well liked and had a happy family life. A colleague in the Parliament of Toulouse introduced him into the circle of Mersenne where he was introduced to Blaise Pascal and began corresponding with him on probability problems, most famously the problem of points. Their correspondence focused on individual problems rather than developing probability theory as a whole, but these problems focused his work on noticing patterns in chance processes over many repetitions. His letters to Pascal have been published, which allows his work to be attributed to him.