Complex sentence: Jean Jacques Ampère (1800-1864), son of André Marie Ampère, was eminent as a littérateur, and a historian and critic of literature; attained to the rank of a member of the French Academy.
Split into simpler sentences: Jean Jacques Ampère (1800-1864), son of André Marie Ampère, was eminent as a littérateur, and a historian and critic of literature. He attained to the rank of a member of the French Academy.