Nicolas Théodore de Saussure was born in Geneva on October 14, 1767, the son of Horace Bénédict de Saussure, the celebrated naturalist, Alpine explorer, and professor in the University of Geneva. As a boy Théodore was educated by a private tutor and afterwards by his father, in preparation for entry into the Academy of his native city. His studies embraced medicine, mineralogy, and natural history, and he also acquired a keen interest in experimental chemistry from reading the earlier works of Lavoisier.