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I'm reading Dickson's History on the Theory of Numbers, and find this on page 34:

"The third $P_3$ [that is, triperfect number], discovered by André Jumeau, Prior of Sainte-Croix", is ${P_3}^{(3)} = 523776 = 2^9 3 \cdot 11 \cdot 31$"

I can find no biographical details of this "André Jumeau". There seems to be nothing out there.

I'd be grateful for any information about who he was.

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Adrien Baillet La vie de M. Descartes vol.1 Ch.11, p. 146 (year 1626) in google books Adrien Baillet La vie de M. Descartes vol.1

M. De Sainte Croix was another distinguished arithmetician, but even more - an intimate friend of M. Descartes. I believe that he is the same one that we find called by other people André Jumeau, who was prior of the Sainte Croix (Holy Cross), and who had been tutor to M. Le Duc De Verneuïl. M. Descartes testified that he esteemed very particularly the profound knowledge which M. De Sainte Croix had of arithmetic and algebra: and he took a singular pleasure in answering his questions, because he found almost as much satisfaction in them as M. De Sainte Croix testified to this for his answers. He died before M Descartes.

There is some ambiguity as he is most often named by contemporaries "Monsieur de Sainte Croix". His name appears frequently enough in connection with Descartes and his circle (Mersenne, Fermat, etc.). 1588-1651 are the dates of his life as given by notes to editions of the letters exchanged. He has not published anything, Mersenne notes, but passing remarks are easily found; search has not discovered some encyclopaedical entry about him.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you for this, I think it's about time some encyclopaedic entry does appear about him. $\endgroup$
    – Prime Mover
    Oct 18, 2020 at 20:23
  • $\begingroup$ A little detail : "prior of Sainte Croix" (on line 5 of your translation). I know a Ste Croix priory in the Lyon area, but it is known that at that time you could receive benefits from an abbey without being at all present within its walls. $\endgroup$
    – Jean Marie Becker
    Oct 18, 2020 at 23:16
  • $\begingroup$ Note that "M. le Duc De Verneuil" is not a male person by the last name of "Le Duc De Verneuïl" as the English translation here might suggest. Rather "Duc de Verneuil" is the title (of a duke), and the person referred to is specifically Henri, Duke of Verneuil (1601-1682). $\endgroup$
    – njuffa
    Oct 26, 2020 at 23:04

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