Pierre François Bellot (April 1, 1776, Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 – March 17, 1836, Geneva) was a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 jurist and politician.

Bellot, who never married, studied law in Geneva and was admitted to the bar in 1798. From 1819 to his death he was professor for civil and commercial law as well as civil procedure at the University of Geneva

University of Geneva

The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...

. Under French rule (1798-1813), Bellot held lesser government offices. From 1814 to his death, he was a member of the cantonal parliament, the Representative Council.

Bellot was the principal author of the Geneva Civil Code and was also heavily involved in shaping the cantonal constitution, as well as most other cantonal legislation in the restoration period. Although he published comparatively little, his liberal

Classical liberalism

Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....

ideas were instrumental in shaping the legislation of and legal education in Geneva through his voluminous forensic and legislative work.