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, politician and inventor. In 1923, he was awarded the John Fritz Medal.

Biography

Early life

Eugène Schneider was born on October 29, 1868, in

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 (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, was the co-founder of Schneider et Compagnie with his grand-uncle Adolphe Schneider 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 et Compagnie 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, Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée, the Société Métallurgique de Normandie and the Banque de l'Union Parisienne. 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 The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

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 The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

He was a member of the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

. In 1917 he accepted the presidency of the British

Iron and Steel Institute The Iron and Steel Institute was a British association originally 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 ...

, 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 1922, the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) awarded him the John Fritz Medal. In 1930 he was awarded, like his father in 1889, the Bessemer Gold Medal 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 : Henri-Paul, Jean and

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, 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, 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