Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
Guillaume Marie Emmanuel Ludovic Rodolphe d'Ornano (25 June 1894 – 16 May 1985) was a French aristocrat and industrialist, who co-founded
Lancôme
Lancôme () is a French perfume and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. A subsidiary of L'Oréal, Lancôme offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup.
History
Founded in 1935 by Guillaume d'Ornano and his business partn ...
in 1935, and was an owner-breeder of
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
race horse
''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn.
Construction
''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...
s.
Early life
Count d'Ornano was born on 25 June 1894 in
Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
, in the
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River. In 2019, it had a population of 610,079.department in France. He was a son of Count Alphonse Antoine d'Ornano and Marie ( Colonna d'Istria) d'Ornano. His brothers were Philippe Antoine d'Ornano (who married
Marcelle Françoise Finet) and Jean-Baptiste d'Ornano (who married Andrette Rougier).
His maternal grandparents were François Colonna d'Istria and the former Marie Madeleine
Pozzo di Borgo
Count Carlo Andrea Pozzo di Borgo (, , ''Karl Osipovich Potso di Borgo''; 8 March 1764 – 15 February 1842) was a Corsican politician, who later became a Russian diplomat.
He was an official representative of his homeland in Paris before ent ...
(a member of the noble
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, he was a direct descendant of Countess
Marie Walewska
Marie Walewska, Countess Walewska (; ; 7 December 1786 – 11 December 1817) was a Polish noblewoman in the court of Napoleon I who used her influence to sway the emperor towards the creation of an independent Polish state. In her later years ...
and Count
Philippe Antoine d'Ornano
Philippe Antoine d'Ornano, Comte d'Ornano (; 17 January 1784 – 13 October 1863) was a French soldier and politician who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of France in 1861.
Early life
D'Orna ...
, an officer who was made
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...
(by his second cousin,
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
).
Career
Count d'Ornano was attached to the Warsaw embassy after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Upon returning to Paris, he became an advisor to
François Coty
François Coty (; born Joseph Marie François Spoturno ; 3 May 1874 – 25 July 1934) was a French perfumer, businessman, newspaper publisher, politician and patron of the arts. He was the founder of the Coty, Coty perfume company, today a multin ...
(founder of the Coty perfume company, who is considered the founding father of the modern perfume industry). Following the death of Coty in 1934, d'Ornano and his business partner Armand Petijean founded
Lancôme
Lancôme () is a French perfume and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. A subsidiary of L'Oréal, Lancôme offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup.
History
Founded in 1935 by Guillaume d'Ornano and his business partn ...
in 1935 as a fragrance house. The name "Lancôme", inspired by the forest of Lancosme that lies in the Indre valley in the heart of France in the region of , was chosen by Guillaume's wife Elisabeth. The company launched its first five fragrances in 1935 at the
World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...
in Brussels. They entered into the luxury skincare market in 1936, followed by make-up, cosmetics, and skincare products. In 1957, he sold his stake in Lancôme which was then acquired by L'Oreal in 1964.
After he sold his stake in Lancôme, he joined his sons Michel and Hubert at
Jean d'Albret
John III (, , ; 1469 – 14 June 1516) was King of Navarre from 1484 until his death in 1516 as the husband and co-ruler of Queen Catherine.
He was a son of Alain I, Lord of Albret, and Frances, Countess of Périgord.
King of Navarre
Marria ...
- Orlane, which they founded in 1954 with an investment from Guillaume. Jean d’Albret-Orlane was sold in 1969, after Michel entered French politics. Hubert continued to work for the company before acquiring
Sisley
Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedica ...
in 1976, which the family continues to own today.
Count d'Ornano served as mayor of Moulins-sur-Céphons and general councillor for the Indre region for twenty-five years.
Horse racing and breeding
A prominent horse owner-breeder, Count d'Ornano owned Haras de Manneville, a stud farm near
Deauville
Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...
in the main horse breeding region in France. In 1962, his horse, Misti, captured the
Prix Ganay
The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,100 metres (about 1 mile and 2½ furlongs) at L ...
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
's Vienna by a half-length.
He declared his racing colours in 1934 (red and yellow-striped jersey, yellow sleeves, red cap). He served as chairman of the Société des Courses de Chateauroux and was a member of the Société d'Encouragement from 1964 until 1983, when he became an honorary member. From 1971 to 1978, he served as chairman of the Société des Courses du Pays d'Auge, which ran the
Deauville-Clairefontaine Racecourse
Deauville-Clairefontaine Racecourse is a horse race track located in Tourgéville near Deauville in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, département in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy ''Regions of France, rég ...
.
Personal life
He married Elżbieta "Elisabeth" Michalska of Łodzia. She was the daughter of Józef Bolesław Michalski of Łodzia and Aleksandra Morchonowicz. Her sister, Aleksandra Michalska, married Count Peter Komorowski. They often traveled to New York, staying at
The Pierre
The Pierre is a luxury hotel located at 2 61st Street (Manhattan), East 61st Street, at the intersection of that street with Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City, facing Central Park. Designed by Schultze and Weaver, Schultze & Weaver, th ...
. Together, they were the parents of:
* Count
Michel d'Ornano
Michel d'Ornano (12 July 1924 – 8 March 1991) was a French politician.
Early life
Count d'Ornano was born in Paris on 12 July 1924. He was a son of Count Guillaume d'Ornano, a co-founder of Lancôme in 1935 (which was acquired by L'Oreal in ...
Hubert d'Ornano
Count Hubert d'Ornano (31 March 1926 – 25 September 2015) was a French industrialist who co-founded Sisley.
Early life
Hubert was born on 31 March 1926 at the family castle in Mełgiew in Świdnik, Poland but moved to France at the age of eight. ...
(1926–2015), who married Countess Isabelle Potocki, a daughter of Count
Józef Alfred Potocki
Count Józef Alfred Henryk Potocki (8 April 1895 – 12 September 1968) was a Polish nobleman and diplomat who served as the Polish government-in-exile's Ambassador to Spain.
Early life
Count Potocki was born on 8 April 1895 in Szepetowka, a cit ...
and Princess Krystyna Maria Radziwiłł (a daughter of Prince Janusz Radziwiłł). He is the founder of the
Sisley
Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedica ...
cosmetics company.
Count d'Ornano died in Paris on 16 May 1985.
Legacy and honours
In 1987, the Prix de la Côte Normande, a
Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to:
* Alkaline earth metal
The alkaline earth metals are six chemical elements in group (periodic table), group 2 of the periodic table. They are beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (B ...
horse race
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
in France open to three-year-old
thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
s that is run at
Deauville
Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...
, was renamed
Prix Guillaume d'Ornano
The Prix Guillaume d'Ornano is a Conditions races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Deauville-La Touques Racecourse, Deauvi ...