François Quesnay was a French doctor and economist. He studied medicine in Paris and became physician in ordinary to King Louis XV. While at court he turned his attention to economics and became a founder of the Physiocrates, advocating the removal of tolls and greater free trade to stimulate French agriculture. His book Tableau économique (1758), provided an intellectual basis for the Physiocrates and was one of the first major economic texts. His work paved the way for the classical economists - especially Adam Smith who met Quesnay and quoted him in The Wealth of Nations.

Quesnay was also a noted oriental scholar, publishing several books on Chinese politics and society.