The French engineer and inventor was the nephew of Joseph and Etienne de Montgolfier, who became famous in 1783 for their invention of the hot-air balloon known as the mongolfier. Introduced to scientific studies by his uncle Joseph, in 1799 he enrolled in the "Institut et Conservateur des Arts et Métiers". After various sojourns in England, he worked in various fields of mechanical industry. With his brothers (Camille, Jules, Paul and Charles) he founded a steam propulsion company, a form of energy of which he was a leading advocate, on the Rhone. His contribution to the realisation of bridges suspended from iron cables was also important. In 1824-1825 he built the first bridge suspended from an iron cable at Tournon-Tain sul Rodano. With his brothers he participated in building numerous structures of this kind in France, Spain and Italy (between 1835 and 1837, with his brother Jules, he built two bridges suspended from iron cables, the San Ferdinando Bridge in the vicinity of San Niccolò and the San Leopoldo Bridge at the Cascine Park). In 1826 was granded a concession to build the Saint-Etienne-Lyon railway line, for which the foundry of his brother Jules was used. His studies aimed at improving the steam propulsion of locomotives led him to design a boiler with steam pipes. In 1838 he abandoned the activity of entrepreneur to devote himself to the study of numerous scientific subjects. He continued the studies of his uncle Joseph de Montgolfier on aerial navigation. In 1836 he was nominated Chevalier, and in 1866 Official, of the Legion of Honour. In 1845 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Sciences for the Mathematics section. He published numerous articles, books and memoires.