André Citroën
André Citroën | |
|---|---|
| Born | André-Gustave Citroën February 5, 1878 Paris, France |
| Died | July 3, 1935 (aged 57) Paris, France |
| Occupation(s) | Industrialist, engineer |
| Known for | Founder of Citroën; pioneering double helical gears design |
André-Gustave Citroën (5 February 1878 – 3 July 1935) was a prominent French industrialist best known as the founder of the automobile manufacturer Citroën. He is also recognized for pioneering the design of double helical gears.
Life and career
André was born in Paris in 1878, the youngest among five siblings, to Levie Citroen, a Jewish diamond merchant, and Masza Amelia Kleinman. The family surname derives from the Dutch term for "lemon," later adapted into French as Citroën. When André was six years old, his father died by suicide, reportedly following an unsuccessful diamond mining venture in South Africa. Fascinated by engineering marvels such as the Eiffel Tower, André chose to pursue a career in engineering.
After completing his studies at the in 1900, he encountered the efficiency of herringbone gears during travels in Poland. He secured the patent at a low cost, which led to his hallmark invention—the double helical gear—serving as inspiration for Citroën’s distinctive double chevron emblem. By 1908, he had become chairman of the automotive company Mors, where he achieved considerable success.
Throughout World War I, Citroën oversaw large-scale armaments production, earning recognition as France’s foremost expert in manufacturing processes. He played a key role at the Renault munitions factory, which employed around 35,000 workers. In 1919, he briefly took charge of Société Française Doble to produce steam cars domestically but soon redirected his efforts.
Later that year, Citroën established the automobile company that would grow to become the world’s fourth largest manufacturer by 1932. Nevertheless, substantial investments in developing the innovative front-wheel-drive unibody Traction Avant model and extensive factory modernization resulted in bankruptcy by 1934. The company was subsequently acquired by creditor Michelin, whose tires were used on Citroën vehicles. Although initially troubled, the Traction Avant eventually achieved commercial success and remained in production until 1957, with a hiatus during World War II.
Citroën passed away from stomach cancer in Paris in 1935 and was interred at Montparnasse Cemetery; his funeral service was conducted by Paris’s Chief Rabbi.
Posthumous recognition
On 9 October 1958, at the Paris Motor Show, the Council of Paris officially renamed the Quai de Javel as "Quai André Citroën" to honor his role in transforming Paris’s 15th arrondissement—from an area once dominated by market gardening into the location of Europe’s first mass-production automobile factory founded by Citroën.
The street had originally been named "Quai de Javel" in 1843 after a chemical plant known for producing industrial acids and the famous bleach Eau de Javel. The renaming acknowledged Citroën’s significant industrial legacy.
In 1992, the Parc André Citroën public park was developed on the site of the former Citroën automobile factory, which operated until its closure in the 1970s and was dismantled between 1976 and 1984. André Citroën was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame located in Dearborn, Michigan in 1998, celebrating his enduring impact on automotive history.
See also
- Arthur Constantin Krebs, General Manager of Panhard from 1897 to 1916
External links
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- 1878 births
- 1935 deaths
- Citroën
- French chief executives
- French automotive pioneers
- Engineers from Paris
- French automobile designers
- French founders of automobile manufacturers
- École Polytechnique alumni
- Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni
- French people of Dutch-Jewish descent
- 19th-century French Jews
- Deaths from stomach cancer in France
- Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery
- Lycée Condorcet alumni
- Businesspeople from Paris