Prince Poniatowski of the Poniatowski family in 1916

Prince Louis Léopold Charles Marie André Poniatowski (24 January 1864 – 8 March 1954), was a Polish nobleman, member of the

House of Poniatowski The House of Poniatowski (plural: ''Poniatowscy'') is a prominent Polish family that was part of the nobility of Poland. A member of this family, Stanisław Poniatowski, was elected as King of Poland and reigned from 1764 until his abdicatio ...

who became a prominent French financier and industrialist.

Early life

Prince Poniatowski was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 24 January 1864. He was the youngest son of Prince

Stanisław August Poniatowski Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last monarch ...

(1835–1908) and Countess Louise Le Hon (1838–1931). His father served as

Master of Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (Ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...

to Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

of France. He had an older sister and brother, Prince Charles Poniatowski, who married Maud Ely Goddard of New Brighton (a grand-niece of Mayor

Smith Ely Jr. Smith Ely Jr. (April 17, 1825 – July 1, 1911) was the 82nd Mayor of New York City and member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Early life He was born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, on April 17, 1825. His father, ...

). His maternal grandparents were

Charles de Morny, Duke of Morny Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1er Duc de Morny () (15–16 September 1811, Switzerland10 March 1865, Paris) was a French statesman. Biography Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the ...

and the Countess Le Hon ( Fanny Mosselman; although she was married to Count Charles Le Hon when Louise was born). His paternal grandparents were Prince

Józef Michał Poniatowski Józef Michał Poniatowski (Rome, 24 July 1814 – London, 4 July 1873) was a Polish '' szlachcic'', a composer and an operatic tenor. He was the nephew of the Polish general Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski. He was created the 1st ''Conte di M ...

, a prominent composer and a singer, and Countess Matilda Perotti. Prince Poniatowski graduated from the French Saumur School of Cavalry.

Career

In pursuit of investment opportunities, Poniatowski went to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and formed a syndicate to rework old

Gold Country The Gold Country (also known as Mother Lode Country) is a historic region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, that is primarily on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines ...

mines using modern methods. To facilitate transportation, he backed Thomas S. Bullock in the construction of the

Sierra Railway The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates the ...

to get to the mines, and financed construction of the Blue Lakes powerhouse on the

Mokelumne River The Mokelumne River ( or ; ''Mokelumne'', Miwok for "People of the Fish Net") is a -long river in northern California in the United States. The river flows west from a rugged portion of the central Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the Ce ...

to get electric power to the mines. Realizing the vast potential of this river for

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

, Poniatowski and his brother-in-law,

William Henry Crocker William Henry Crocker I (January 13, 1861 – September 25, 1937) was an American banker, the president of Crocker National Bank and a prominent member of the Republican Party. Early life Crocker was born on January 19, 1861 in Sacramento, Califor ...

, he formed the Standard Electric Co. in 1897 to build Electra Powerhouse (which later merged into the

Pacific Gas and Electric Company The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is an American investor-owned utility (IOU). The company is headquartered in the Pacific Gas & Electric Building, in San Francisco, California. PG&E provides natural gas and electricity to 5.2 milli ...

). In addition to their railway, mining and power interests, Poniatowski and Crocker built

Tanforan Racetrack Tanforan Racetrack, also known as Tanforan Park, was a thoroughbred horse racing facility in San Bruno, on the San Francisco Peninsula, in California. It was in operation from November 4, 1899, to 1964. The horse racing track and buildings were con ...

near Sky Farm, his winter residence in Burlingame.

Return to France

In 1904, after fifteen years in California, he sold his interests and returned to France with his family. He became "one of the leading authorities on finance, headed the French Finance Company, formed to float issues of American securities in France, and was head of Banque Privée." In

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, at the age of 52, he served in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

as liaison officer with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Personal life

Princess Poniatowski by Jacques-Émile Blanche

On 6 October 1894, Poniatowski married Elizabeth Helen Sperry (1872–1911), an heiress from

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, in Paris. A daughter of Simon Willard Sperry and Caroline Elizabeth ( Barker) Sperry, her sister, Ethel (née Sperry) Crocker, was the wife of banker

William H. Crocker William Henry Crocker I (January 13, 1861 – September 25, 1937) was an American banker, the president of Crocker National Bank and a prominent member of the Republican Party. Early life Crocker was born on January 19, 1861 in Sacramento, Califo ...

. Together, they were the parents of at least five sons, including: * Prince Stanisław August Poniatowski (1895–1970), who married Aglaë de Sainte-Aldegonde, a daughter of Edmond André de Sainte-Aldegonde and Marthe Marie des Acres de L'Aigle. * Prince Charles Poniatowski (1897–1980), who married Countess Anne de Caraman-Chimay, a daughter of Pierre Marie de-Riquet-de-Caraman-Chimay and Marthe Mathilde Barbe Werlé, in 1920. * Prince André John Poniatowski (1899–1977), who married American heiress Frances Alice Willing Lawrance, a daughter of Francis Cooper Lawrance Jr. and Susan Ridgway (née Willing) Lawrance and cousin to

Vincent Astor William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Astor family. Early life Called Vincent, he was born in New York City on November 15, 1891. Astor was the eld ...

and

Ava Alice Muriel Astor Ava Alice Muriel Astor (July 7, 1902 – July 19, 1956) was an American heiress, socialite, and member of the Astor family. She was the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV and Ava Lowle Willing, and sister of Vincent Astor and half-sister of John Jac ...

(through Alice's maternal aunt,

Ava Lowle Willing Ava Lowle Willing (September 15, 1868 – June 9, 1958) was an American socialite. She was the first wife of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV and later married Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale. Early life Ava Lowle Willing was born on September ...

). * Prince Jean Joseph Évremond Sperry Poniatowski (1907–1978), who married French-born Mexican heiress María Dolores Paulette Amor de Yturbe. In June 1911, the Princess attended the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in London with her sister. She died in Paris only two months later in August 1911, at only 39 years old. Poniatowski died on 8 March 1954 in

Cahors Cahors (; oc, Caors ) is a commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitanie Region. The main city of the Lot department and the historical center of the Quer ...

, France.

Descendants

Through his son Charles, he was a grandfather of French politician

Michel Poniatowski Michel Poniatowski (16 May 1922 – 15 January 2002) was a French politician, member of a legitimized line of Poland's princely Poniatowski family. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President ...

(1922–2002), who served as

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

and

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

under his longtime friend, President

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

(after having previously served as

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

under President

Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( , ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously was Prime Minister of France of President Charles de Gaulle from 1962 to 196 ...

). Through his youngest son Jean, he was a grandfather of writer

Elena Poniatowska Hélène Elizabeth Louise Amélie Paula Dolores Poniatowska Amor (born May 19, 1932), known professionally as Elena Poniatowska () is a French-born Mexican journalist and author, specializing in works on social and political issues focused on th ...

(b. 1932), who married Mexican astronomer

Guillermo Haro Guillermo Haro Barraza (; 21 March 1913 – 26 April 1988) was a Mexican astronomer. Through his own astronomical research and the formation of new institutions, Haro was influential in the development of modern observational astronomy in M ...

References

External links

Home of Prince Poniatowski, Burlingame, Cal.

1922 Press Photo Prince Andre Poniatowski & Princess Elizabeth To Visit Californ

Portrait of Princess Poniatowski
by

Jacques Émile Blanche Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poniatowski, André 1864 births 1954 deaths Nobility from Florence French people of Polish descent

André André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...