Charles Prosper Eugène Schneider, also known as Eugène Schneider II (French: Eugène II Schneider; 29 October 1868 – 17 November 1942), was a French industrialist, head of

Schneider-Creusot Schneider et Cie, also known as Schneider-Creusot for its birthplace in the French town of Le Creusot, was a historic French iron and steel-mill company which became a major arms manufacturer. In the 1960s, it was taken over by the Belgian Empain ...

and other works in France, politician and inventor. In 1923, he was awarded the

John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived betw ...

Biography

Early life

Schneider was born on October 29, 1868, in

Le Creusot Le Creusot () is a commune and industrial town in the Saône-et-Loire department, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgic ...

, rural France.National Assembly: Eugène Schneider
/ref>Notice biographique: Eugène Schneider (1868-1942)
'' Revue de Métallurgie'', n. 5, May 1943, pp. 156-160 His father, Henri Schneider, was a businessman and politician. His paternal grandfather,

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 ...

, was the co-founder of

with his grand-uncle

Adolphe Schneider Adolphe Schneider (23 October 1802 – 3 August 1845) was a French financier and industrialist who developed a major metalworking enterprise at Le Creusot, the parent of today's Schneider Electric. Early years Adolphe Schneider was born in Nancy ...

in 1836. He grew up at the Château de la Verrerie in Le Creusot.Jean-Louis Beaucarnot, ''Nos familles dans la grande guerre'', Paris: JC Lattès, 201

/ref>

Career

Schneider was appointed as co-chairman of Schneider-Creusot in 1896. He became its sole chairman in 1898. The company dominated the steel and armaments sector of France and much of central Europe. He served on the boards of directors of the

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th c ...

Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée The Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée ("Railway Company of Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean"), also known as the Chemins de fer Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée or simply PLM, established in 1857, was one of Fran ...

, the Société Métallurgique de Normandie and the

Banque de l'Union Parisienne The Banque de l'Union Parisienne (BUP) was a French investment bank, created in 1904 and merged into Crédit du Nord in 1973. History Société Française et Belge de Banque et d'Escompte From its inception, the Société Générale de Belgique ...

. He also served as the chairman of the Banque de l'union européenne industrielle et financière. He joined the Popular Liberal Action, a center-right political party. He served as a member of the French Chamber of Deputies for them from 1889 to 1910. He also served as the Mayor of Le Creusot from 1896 to 1900.Eugène Schneider (1868-1942)
Bibliothèque nationale de France He was a member of the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. In 1917 he accepted the presidency of the British

Iron and Steel Institute The Iron and Steel Institute was an English association organized by the iron trade of the north of England. Its object was the discussion of practical and scientific questions connected with the manufacture of iron and steel. History The first mee ...

, a position he occupied for 2 years. In 1919 he was sent on a mission to America by the French government and whilst there was awarded the Gold Medal of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America. In 1930 he was awarded, like his father in 1889, the

Bessemer Gold Medal The Bessemer Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) "for outstanding services to the steel industry, to the inventor or designer of any significant innovation in the process employed in the manufact ...

for services to the steel industry. He died in Paris in 1942, only weeks after the Le Creusot factory was demolished by the RAF in World War II.

Personal life

He married Antoinette de Rafélis de Saint-Sauveur, an heiress to the Château d'Apremont-sur-Allier. They had three sons, Charles, Henri-Paul and Jean, and a daughter, Marie-Zélie, also known as May, who became the Duchess of Brissac by marriage. He died in Paris on November 17, 1942.

Legacy

His statue, designed by sculptor

Paul Landowski Paul Maximilien Landowski (1 June 1875 – 31 March 1961) was a French monument sculptor of Polish descent. His best-known work is '' Christ the Redeemer'' in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biography Landowski was born in Paris, France, of a Polish re ...

, stands on the Boulevard Henri-Paul Schneider (named after his son) in Le Creusot.Le Creusot: La statue d'Eugène II Schneider, Bvd Henri-Paul Schneider
/ref>

Patents

* C.P.E. Schneider.
Patent US713691 - Recoil apparatus for guns
" 1901. * C.P.E. Schneider.
Patent US716114 - Apparatus for sighting guns
" 1902. * C.P.E. Schneider.
Patent US800021 - Apparatus for loading ordnance
" 1905. * C.P.E. Schneider.
Patente US896669 - Breech-operating mechanism for ordnance
" 1907. * C.P.E. Schneider.
Patent US946402 - Sighting apparatus for guns
" 1910.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, Eugene II 1868 births 1942 deaths People from Le Creusot Mayors of places in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Popular Liberal Action politicians Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 8th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic 20th-century French businesspeople French corporate directors 20th-century French inventors John Fritz Medal recipients Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Bessemer Gold Medal Grand Officers of the Order of the White Lion