André Langrand-Dumonceau

André Langrand-Dumonceau, engraving

André Langrand-Dumonceau (born December 5, 1826 in Vossem near Liège, † April 25, 1900 in Rome ) was a Belgian bank manager.

Life

André Langrand was born as the son of a mug keeper in Vossem (east of Brussels) and is said to have grown up in poor conditions. After serving in the French Foreign Legion, he returned to Belgium and worked for an insurance company, where he became acquainted with Edouard Mercier , who promoted him. In 1847 André Langrand married and added the (more sonorous) maiden name of his wife (Dumonceau) to his name. It is unclear whether this happened immediately or later, when he received the title of Roman Count from the Pope.

In 1850 he founded a small insurance company for farms.

With the insurance deposits, he participated in the founding of international companies such as La Royale belge and the Crédit foncier international . In an economy hostile to Jews, he wooed capital from Catholic investors. The politicians of the Catholic party Pieter de Decker , Jean-Baptiste Nothomb and Adolphe Dechamps sat on the boards of his societies . Since 1859 (Austria) and 1861 (Netherlands) the companies have been involved in the mortgage business in Central Europe and in the financing of public construction projects. On July 21, 1865 Pius IX appointed him . to the Comte Romain . Still doubters suspected behind the dividends is a Ponzi scheme and in October 1868 claimed the financial newspaper La Cote libre de la Bourse de Bruxelles , his company would use fraudulent methods - so long edge Dumonceau no credit found more among investors, went bankrupt and the supporting him Minister of resigned the Catholic government.

On August 25, 1870, the commercial court in Brussels declared the personal bankruptcy of André Langrand-Dumonceau and other board members.

literature

Th. W .: A clerical industrial knight , in: Die Gartenlaube (1870) Issues 27/28 (beginning of July 1870)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Langrand-Dumonceau . zeno.org.