Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, he murdered his wife in a domestic argument after she had filed for divorce. He then fired the third gunshot into his own head, but survived. In September 1906 he was acquitted of a crime of passion.Le Petit Journal, 7 September 1906, Court Reports - Crime of Passion /ref>
Family life
Albert Lemaître was born in 1864 in Aÿ, a village outside Épernay, where he worked in partnership with his brother as an exporter in the
champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
'' Paris, 8 May 1906 - ''Nouvelles Diverses - À Paris.'' Le Drame de la rue de Miromesnil. Le Figaro, Paris, 7 September 1906 - ''Gazette des Tribunaux'' Cour d'assises de la Seine : Meurtrier de sa Femme; :(see Notes)(Google Books) Mercedes And Auto Racing In The Belle Epoque, 1895-1915 by Robert Dick. /ref>TNF - Lemaitre and Giraud. Doug Nye - ''By 1897 'La France Automobile' listed him as Albert Lemaitre of Ay (Marne)'' /ref>The 'rue Albert Lemaître' in Courcelles, Belgium is associated with the artist Albert Lemaître (1886-1975) who was born in
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
On 22 July 1894, Pierre Giffard organised what is considered to be the world's first competitive motoring event from Paris to Rouen to publicise his newspaper, '' Le Petit Journal''.A previous motoring event had been held in 1887 but received only a single entrant. Georges Bouton and his passenger the Comte Jules-Albert de Dion had completed the 2 mile drive from the Bois de Boulogne to Porte Maillot in a steam powered vehicle of their own manufacture, the genesis of the De Dion-Bouton. The paper promoted it as a ''Competition for Horseless Carriages'' (Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux) that were ''not dangerous, easy to drive, and cheap during the journey''. The 'easy to drive' clause precluded the use of a travelling mechanic or technical assistant, thereby making steam-powered vehicles ineligible for the main prize.
Lemaître completed the qualification event on Friday 20 July, driving from
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Maisons-Laffitte
Maisons-Laffitte () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the northern ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region of France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of northwestern Paris, from its ...
. The main race from
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...
Nanterre
Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807.
The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...
,
Chatou
Chatou () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Chatou is a part of the affluent suburbs of western Paris and is on the northwest ...
,
Le Pecq
Le Pecq () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris.
Geography
The commune of Le Pecq is located in a loop of the Se ...
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
in 4 hours 15 minutes. Lemaître and his 3 passengers took 6 hours 51 minutes 30 seconds to reach
Rouen
Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...
in his 3 hp Peugeot Type 7, the first petrol-powered car to finish, 13 minutes ahead of Auguste Doriot (Peugeot). The fastest vehicle, and the first home, was the steam-powered De Dion-Bouton driven by the Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, but was ineligible for the main prize because it needed a stoker, a technical assistant.
1897
On 29–31 January 1897 Lemaître finished second in the 'Marseilles–Nice–La Turbie' race driving a Peugeot. He completed the event in 8 hours 7 minutes 27 seconds, an average speed of .
On 24 July 1897 he finished 20th in the Paris–Dieppe Trail driving a Peugeot. He completed the event in 5 hours 27 minutes 46 seconds, an average speed of .
On 14 August 1897 he finished 3rd in the Paris–Trouville Trail, driving a Peugeot. He completed the event in 4 hours 17 minutes 40 seconds, an average speed of .
1898–1899
On 21 August 1898 he finished 3rd in the Bordeaux-Biarritz Trail, driving a Peugeot. He completed the event in 8 hours 4 minutes at an average speed of .
On 21 March 1899 Lemaître won the
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionCastellane–Nice race driving a Peugeot. He completed the in 2 hours 52 minutes 50 seconds, an average speed of . He was driving the latest version of rear engined, two cylinder, (140 mm bore x 190 mm stroke) Peugeot, in which he also achieved a standing start mile in 1 minute 35 seconds.
On 24 March 1899 Lemaître won the La Turbie Hill climb in 24 minutes 23 seconds in the new 17 h.p. Peugeot.
On 6 April 1899 he won the Pau-
-Pau race in a 10 hp Peugeot. He completed the event in 3 hours 57 minutes 36 seconds, an average speed of .
On 1 September 1899 he finished 3rd in the Paris–Ostende race driving a Peugeot. He completed the event in 6 hours 32 minutes, an average speed of .
1901–1902
On 25 March 1901 he drove a Mercedes in the Nice-Salon-Nice event, but failed to finish.
On 27–29 June 1901 he finished 28th in the Paris-Berlin Trail (Subsequently, named VI Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.) driving a Mercedes. He completed the event in 23 hours 9 minutes 53 seconds, an average speed of .
On 7 April 1902, during ''Nice week'', Lemaître finished second in the 'Nice–La Turbie mountain race driving a 40 hp Mercedes Simplex during its first competitive event. He was competing in the category for racing cars weighing more than 1000 kg.Nice Week, 1902. George Lemaître and Mercedes Simplex /ref>