Charles de Wendel (13 December 1809 – 15 April 1870) was a French steel manufacturer in
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
and a deputy in the French legislative assembly.
Origins
The
de Wendel family
The Wendel family (french: de Wendel) is an industrialist family from the Lorraine region of France. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the family gained both industrial and political power. As a result, the family also attracted controversy as an ...
can be traced back to Jean Wendel of
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
, who married Marie de Wanderve around 1600.
His descendants in the male line mostly pursued military careers.
Jean's descendant
Jean-Martin Wendel
Jean-Martin Wendel (22 February 1665 – 25 June 1737) was a Lorraine industrialist, founder of the De Wendel steel making dynasty.
Origins
The name "Wendel" is derived from the Christian name Wendel or Wendelin (as in the town of Sankt Wendel i ...
(1665–1737) purchased the factories of Le Comte in
Hayange
Hayange (; german: Hayingen; Lorraine Franconian: ''Héngen''/''Haiéngen'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Outlying villages include Marspich and Saint-Nicolas-en-Forêt, Konacker and Ranguevaux.
Hi ...
, Lorraine, in 1704.
This was the foundation of the family's industrial operations.
The purchase of the mastership of a forge carried with it a noble title, and Martin Wendel became Martin de Wendel, seigneur d'Hayange.
He was followed by eight generations of steelmakers.
The Wendels lost their forge and foundry at Hayange during the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
The banker
Florentin Seillière (1744–1825) helped them buy it back in 1804, and in 1811 helped them buy the nearby Moyeuvre forge.
Early years
Alexis Charles de Wendel was born on 13 December 1809 in
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
, Moselle.
He was the second son of François de Wendel (1778–1825) and Françoise Joséphine de Fischer de Dicourt (1784–1872).
His father was deputy from 1815–16 and from 1818–25, and master of the Hayange foundry.
After his father died in 1825, his mother took over management of the family business.
Charles' older brother, Victor-François, was not interested in running the family business and moved from Hayange to estates on the
Seille river.
Charles was sixteen when his father died.
He entered the
École Polytechnique
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
in 1828, and after graduating went to England to study mining and metallurgy.
Charles returned to France in 1834.
On 29 May 1843 Charles de Wendel married Jeanne Marie de Pechpeyrou-Comminges de Guitaut.
Industrialist
Charles de Wendel had to share control of the enterprise with his mother and his brother-in-law, Baron Théodore de Gargan, which he resented, and blamed on the insistence of the
Napoleonic Code on the equal rights of heirs.
In the 1830s the family matriarch, Madame Joséphine de Wendel, drew up contracts through which the children and grandchildren of François de Wendel would nominally receive a cash payment as their share of the inheritance, but the money would be invested in the business, paying a low rate of return.
Théodore de Gargan died in 1851 and Charles became the sole manager, but still shared ownership with his siblings and their children.
On 24 April 1857 Madame de Wendel, Charles de Wendel and Théodore de Gargan junior signed a deed that established the ''commandite'' of Le Fils de Francois de Wendel et Cie.
Madame de Wendel put up almost all the capital of the partnership and took 80% of the profits, while Charles took 12% and Gargan took 8%.
Wendel and Gargan greatly expanded operations at Hayange and Moyeuvre in the 1840s and 1850s.
Both plants were connected by rail to the company's coal mines and coke furnaces at
Stiring-Wendel
Stiring-Wendel (; Lorraine Franconian: ''Stiringe''; German ''Stieringen-Wendel'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, wedged between Forbach, Schœneck, Spicheren and Saarbrücken.
History
Charles de Wen ...
and at
Seraing
Seraing (; wa, Serè) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, Ougrée, and Seraing. With Liège, Herstal, Saint ...
in Belgium, alleviating a chronic shortage of coal and coke.
During the metallurgy slump of 1847–50 Charles de Wendel was assisted by the
Bank of France
The Bank of France ( French: ''Banque de France''), headquartered in Paris, is the central bank of France. Founded in 1800, it began as a private institution for managing state debts and issuing notes. It is responsible for the accounts of the F ...
, which he fully repaid in 1851.
In the crisis year of 1848 Charles de Wendel and
Eugène Schneider
Joseph Eugène Schneider (29 March 1805 – 27 November 1875) was a French industrialist and politician. In 1836, he co-founded the Schneider company with his brother, Adolphe Schneider. For many years he was a Deputy, and he was briefly Minister ...
saved the foundry at
Fourchambault
Fourchambault () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nièvre Departments of France, department in central France.
Geography
Fourchambault lies on the right, eastern bank of the river Loire, about 7 km northwest of Nevers. Fourchambault ...
from bankruptcy by co-signing a huge bank loan.
In 1846 Charles de Wendel and the Parisian businessman Georges Hainguerlot bought the coal mining concession of
Schœneck
Schœneck (; ) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is located in the Warndt Basin, and is a border town with Germany, wedged between Stiring-Wendel and Saarbrücken.
Coal concession
In 1846 Charl ...
.
Surveys proved positive, and in 1851 Wendel, Hainguerlot, the engineer Kind and the surveyor d'Hausens formed a limited company to exploit the concession, authorized in 1853 as the Compagnie des houillères de Stiring (Stiring Coal Company).
The first two shafts were sunk using an innovative system designed by Kind, but ran into problems with water.
A third shaft, sunk with more conventional techniques, was started in 1854 and entered production in 1856.
Other shafts were sunk, and production grew steadily.
Charles de Wendel undertook construction of the very modern Stiring factory while negotiating the purchase of the Schœneck concession.
It was located within the concession area and mainly manufactured railway rails. A coal extraction shaft was sunk near the factory buildings, and during the
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Empire, Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the French Second Republic, Second and the French Third Republic ...
the Compagnie de Stiring sold coal to the Wendel company at generally favorable prices.
In 1865 the Wendel metallurgical factories were taking of the output from the Compagnie de Stiring, paying below market prices.
The company records show that Charles de Wendel intervened in board meetings several times to reduce the price paid for coal by his factories.
For many years Charles de Wendel undertook costly but unsuccessful experiments on removing phosphorus from pig iron.
It was only in 1879, after his death, that the company obtained the rights to use the
Thomas process
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
.
Charles de Wendel and Théodore de Gargan founded the city of
Stiring-Wendel
Stiring-Wendel (; Lorraine Franconian: ''Stiringe''; German ''Stieringen-Wendel'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France, wedged between Forbach, Schœneck, Spicheren and Saarbrücken.
History
Charles de Wen ...
.
The workers' town, dominated by the factories and their managers, was a model that was followed in France into the 1930s.
Charles de Wendel initiated a policy of recruiting from the children of his workers, with son following father.
In the 1850s he began a system by which promotions would be assured, based on seniority, which encouraged loyalty.
To ensure a supply of fuel Charles de Wendel purchased the
Petite-Rosselle
Petite-Rosselle (; ; Palatine German: ''Klänrossle'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est region in north-eastern France. The commune is separated from neighbouring Großrosseln to its west by the small river Rossel, which ...
coal mines,
He created a railway network to connect the factories to each other and to the lines of the
Chemins de fer de l'Est
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est (CF de l'Est), often referred to simply as the Est company, was an early French railway company. The company was formed in 1853 by the merger of ''Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Strasbourg'', ope ...
.
Charles de Wendel became an administrator of the Chemins de fer de l'Est.
Charles de Wendel supported the tariff reductions of the Anglo-French
Cobden–Chevalier Treaty
The Cobden–Chevalier Treaty was an Anglo-French free trade agreement signed between Great Britain and France on 23 January 1860. After Britain began free trade policies in 1846, there remained tariffs with France. The 1860 treaty ended tariffs o ...
of 1860, saying his only regret was that his competitor,
Eugène Schneider
Joseph Eugène Schneider (29 March 1805 – 27 November 1875) was a French industrialist and politician. In 1836, he co-founded the Schneider company with his brother, Adolphe Schneider. For many years he was a Deputy, and he was briefly Minister ...
(1805–75), had been consulted beforehand and he only afterwards.
What would become the
Comité des forges
The Comité des forges (Foundry Committee) was an organization of leaders of the French iron and steel industry from 1864 to 1940, when it was dissolved by the Vichy government.
It typically took a protectionist attitude on trade issues, and was o ...
was founded in 1864.
The Committee had the goals of managing relations between the industry and government, promoting exports and coordinating prices.
Eugène Schneider was the first President.
There were ten members, each representing a region, including Charles de Wendel of Hayange.
The Comité des forges was always handicapped by divisions between the members from the center, the north and the east of the country.
For example, Charles de Wendel resented the control of the committee exerted by Schneider of
Le Creusot
Le Creusot () is a Communes of France, commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire Departments of France, department, Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France.
The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerl ...
in
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
.
Politician
In 1848 Charles de Wendel was elected to the General Council of Moselle by acclamation.
he represented the canton of
Thionville
Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.
History
Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...
.
On 13 May 1849 he was elected Representative for Moselle in the legislative assembly, where he sat on the right.
He fully supported the policy of
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 ...
, and approved Napoleon's coup d'etat.
He was elected deputy to the legislature as the government candidate for the second district of Moselle on 29 February 1852, and reelected on 22 June 1857 and 1 June 1863, each time with a huge majority.
He resigned from the legislative assembly in 1867 due to health problems.
He left office on 19 February 1867 and was replaced by
Stephen Liégeard
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, ΣτÎφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
.
Death and legacy
Charles de Wendel was made a knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
.
He died on 15 April 1870 in Paris.
In 1834, when Charles de Wendel returned to France, the Wendels produced about 1% of French iron.
By 1870 they produced 11.2%, and were the largest iron operation in France.
At the time of his death, Wendel et Cie employed some 7,000 workers and produced 134,500 tons of
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...
and 112,500 tons of iron a year.
With his death his mother, now 86, was again in charge of the family firm.
After the annexation of Lorraine following the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in December 1871 she converted the enterprise from a simple proprietorship to a ''société en commandite'', Les Petits-files de Francois de Wendel et Cie. Her nine grandchildren were shareholders.
Charles left two sons, Henri de Wendel (1844–1906) and
Robert de Wendel
Adrien Charles Joseph Robert de Wendel d'Hayange (9 May 1847 – 27 August 1903), often known as Robert de Wendel, was a French steelmaker, heir of a long line of Lorraine industrialists.
He and his brother Henri ran several large steelworks in L ...
(1847–1903), who both continued in the steel-making tradition.
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendel, Charles de
1809 births
1870 deaths
People from Metz
Politicians from Grand Est
Party of Order politicians
Bonapartists
Members of the National Legislative Assembly of the French Second Republic
Members of the 1st Corps législatif of the Second French Empire
Members of the 2nd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire
Members of the 3rd Corps législatif of the Second French Empire
French industrialists
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur