Eugène Schneider

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Eugène Schneider

Joseph Eugène Schneider (born March 29, 1805 in Biedesdorf , in the Moselle department , then part of France; † November 27, 1875 in Paris ) was a French industrialist.

Life

Schneider was the son of Antoine Schneider (1759-1828), notaire royal and conseiller général de la Moselle , and of Anne-Catherine Durand. Schneider was destitute after the death of his father. He worked at the Seillière bank. There his skills were recognized and he became head of the iron works in Bazeilles . In 1836 he and his older brother Adolphe Schneider (1802–1845) bought the former royal foundries in Le Creusot and founded the Schneider et Cie. (later Schneider SA and Schneider Electric ). That became the basis for one of the greatest industrial empires in 19th century France. They built the first locomotive in 1839 and the first steamship in France in 1840. They also expanded into armaments and internationally to Eastern and Central Europe (Bohemia, Romania, Poland, Hungary).

Schneider was also politically active and was elected to the National Assembly in 1845 and 1846 . In 1851 he was Minister for Agriculture and Economy for a short time. From 1852 he was again in the National Assembly, where he met Napoleon III. supported. At times he was Vice President and President of the National Assembly.

In 1864 he was the first president of the Société Générale bank .

In 1874 Eugène Schneider suffered a stroke and was then partially paralyzed. He died on November 27, 1875 at the age of 70 in Paris and was buried in the cemetery of Le Creusot ( Saône-et-Loire department ).

His two sons were also in politics. One of them was Henri (1840–1898), who ran the company after the death of his father, followed by his son Eugène II Schneider (1868–1942) and his son Charles Schneider (1898–1960).

Honors

Schneider is one of the 72 names on the Eiffel Tower . He received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor .

Footnotes

  1. ^ Joseph Antoine Roy: Histoire de la famille Schneider et du Creusot , M. Rivière, 1965, p. 19th
personal data
SURNAME Schneider, Eugène
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schneider, Joseph Eugène (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1805
PLACE OF BIRTH Biedesdorf
DATE OF DEATH November 27, 1875
Place of death Paris