Élie Cartan's mother was Anne Cottaz and his father was Joseph
Cartan who was a blacksmith. The family were very poor and in
late 19th century France it was not possible for children from
poor families to obtain a university education. It was Élie's
exceptional abilities, together with a lot of luck, which made a
high quality education possible for him. When he was in primary
school he showed his remarkable talents which impressed the
young school inspector, later important politician, Antonin
Dubost. Dubost was at this time employed as an inspector of
primary schools and it was on a visit to the primary school in
Dolomieu, in the French Alps, that he discovered the remarkable
young Élie. Dubost was able to obtain state funds which paid for
Élie to attend the Lycée in Lyons, where he completed his school
education with distinction in mathematics. The state stipend was
extended to allow him to study at the École Normale Supérieure
in Paris. Cartan became a student at the École Normale
Supérieure in 1888 and ob