A native of the village, Julien-Joseph Virey (1775-1846) studied at Langres and then in Paris, practising medicine in military hospitals before being appointed chief pharmacist at the Val de Grâce. He went on to become a member of the Académie de Médecine and the author of several scientific and historical works, including a geography of the Bassigny region. He was also a member of parliament for Haute-Marne from 1831 to 1837.
He was the author of "L'Histoire naturelle du genre humain", published in two volumes in year IX, either 1800 or 1801. In 1821, he published a work entitled Histoire des mœurs et de l'intérêt des animaux.
His bust was enthroned above a handsome pedestal in the square that bears his name until it was stolen in 2019.
Buste de Julien-Joseph Virey à Hortes
