Well, Lavoisier's tax farming was not passive income: "Lavoisier's researches on combustion were carried out in the midst of a very busy schedule of public and

Well, Lavoisier's tax farming was not passive income: "Lavoisier's researches on combustion were carried out in the midst of a very busy schedule of public and private duties, especially in connection with the Ferme Générale." [1] The gentleman scientists were also usually involved in some sort of business, even if it was just administering their estates. The people who truly had a passive income - relying on annuities or government bonds, mostly inherited - are hard to spot in the history of science. They were a pretty numerous class though [2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier#Gunpowder_Commission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier#Gunpowder_Co... [2] https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/piketty-and-the-petits-rentiers/?_r=0 https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/piketty-and-the...