De Wendel family
Encyclopedia
The de Wendel Family is an industrialist
family from Lorraine
, France
.
In the 19th and 20th centuries the family gained might both industrial and political. As a result they also attracted controversy as an icon of French capitalism.
Following the nationalisation of the French steel industry in 1978, they became a successful investment company (Wendel Investissement).
.
In 1727 he received confirmation of ancient nobility by Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
.
Exploiting local supplies of iron and wood, Wendel and his son Charles built Hayange into the largest iron enterprise in Lorraine in the eighteenth century.
In the 1780s, at the end of the Ancien Régime, Charles’ son Ignace, built France's most technologically advanced forge at Le Creusot
Following the death of Charles de Wendel in 1784, his widow kept the enterprise
going into the years of the Revolution. During this time many members of the DeWendel emigrated.
The Revolutionary government confiscated Hayange in 1795. The same year Ignace de Wendel died of an opium overdose in Vienna.
Francois de Wendel, the son of lgnace, returned from exile.
He rebuilt and modernized the furnaces and on his death in 1825, Wendel et Cie was the third largest iron enterprise in France.
Francois de Wendel’s successors - his son Charles and son-in-law Theodore de Gargan - greatly expanded operations at Hayange and Moyeuvre in the 1840s and 1850s. Moreover, both plants were connected by rail to the company's coal mines and coke furnaces at Stiring-Wendel
and at Seraing
in Belgium thereby alleviating a chronic shortage of coal and coke. In 1870, Wendel et Cie was the largest iron company in France, employing some 7,000 workers and producing 134,500 tons of pig iron
and 112,500 tons of iron a year
Lorraine was annexed by Germany from 1870 to 1918, disrupting the operations. During this period, Henri de Wendel (1844–1906) acquired the process invented by the British engineers Thomas and Gichrist to produce steel. Wishing to own a factory in France, the Wendels, associated with the Schneiders and the Seillière bank, founded the Jœuf
factory in 1882.
Business magnate
A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a capitalist, czar, mogul, tycoon, baron, oligarch, or industrialist, is an informal term used to refer to an entrepreneur who has reached prominence and derived a notable amount of wealth from a particular industry .-Etymology:The word magnate itself...
family from Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In the 19th and 20th centuries the family gained might both industrial and political. As a result they also attracted controversy as an icon of French capitalism.
Following the nationalisation of the French steel industry in 1978, they became a successful investment company (Wendel Investissement).
The Beginning
In 1704, Jean-Martin Wendel, the son of an officer, acquired the forges de La Rodolphe in HayangeHayange
Hayange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Outlying villages include Marspich and Saint-Nicolas-en-Forêt, Konacker and Ranguevaux.-Economy:...
.
In 1727 he received confirmation of ancient nobility by Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold, Duke of Lorraine
Leopold , surnamed the Good, was Duke of Lorraine and Bar from 1690 to his death.-Early life:Leopold Joseph Charles Dominique Agapet Hyacinthe was the son of Charles V, Duke of Lorraine, and his wife Eleonora Maria Josefa of Austria, a half-sister of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.At the time of...
.
Exploiting local supplies of iron and wood, Wendel and his son Charles built Hayange into the largest iron enterprise in Lorraine in the eighteenth century.
In the 1780s, at the end of the Ancien Régime, Charles’ son Ignace, built France's most technologically advanced forge at Le Creusot
Le Creusot
Le Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom.Since the 1990s, the...
Following the death of Charles de Wendel in 1784, his widow kept the enterprise
going into the years of the Revolution. During this time many members of the DeWendel emigrated.
The Revolutionary government confiscated Hayange in 1795. The same year Ignace de Wendel died of an opium overdose in Vienna.
After the revolution
ln 1803, when Napoleon offered an amnesty to émigrés, andFrancois de Wendel, the son of lgnace, returned from exile.
He rebuilt and modernized the furnaces and on his death in 1825, Wendel et Cie was the third largest iron enterprise in France.
Francois de Wendel’s successors - his son Charles and son-in-law Theodore de Gargan - greatly expanded operations at Hayange and Moyeuvre in the 1840s and 1850s. Moreover, both plants were connected by rail to the company's coal mines and coke furnaces at Stiring-Wendel
Stiring-Wendel
Stiring-Wendel is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-History:Founded in 1846 at the site of the present Stiring-Wendel ironworks...
and at Seraing
Seraing
Seraing is a Walloon municipality of Belgium in Province of Liege. The municipality of Seraing includes the old communes of Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, and Ougrée. With Liège, Herstal, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, and Flémalle it forms the greater Liège agglomeration...
in Belgium thereby alleviating a chronic shortage of coal and coke. In 1870, Wendel et Cie was the largest iron company in France, employing some 7,000 workers and producing 134,500 tons of pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
and 112,500 tons of iron a year
Lorraine was annexed by Germany from 1870 to 1918, disrupting the operations. During this period, Henri de Wendel (1844–1906) acquired the process invented by the British engineers Thomas and Gichrist to produce steel. Wishing to own a factory in France, the Wendels, associated with the Schneiders and the Seillière bank, founded the Jœuf
Jœuf
Jœuf is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-People:It is the birthplace of footballer Michel Platini.*Eric Occansey, basketball player-External links:*...
factory in 1882.