François Proth (1852 – 1879) was a French self-taught mathematician farmer who lived in Vaux-devant-Damloup near Verdun, France. He stated four primality-related theorems, the most famous of which is Proth's theorem, published around 1878. Proth numbers, related to the above mentioned theorem, are named after him.
The cause of Proth's death is not known.