Jacques Corrèze
Jacques Corrèze | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Auxerre, France |
| Died | June 28, 1991 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, political figure |
| Known for | CEO of Cosmair (L'Oréal's American subsidiary), secretary to Eugène Deloncle |
Jacques Corrèze (born 11 February 1912, died 28 June 1991) was a prominent French entrepreneur and political figure who held the position of chief executive officer for L'Oréal’s American subsidiary, Cosmair, a significant entity in the worldwide cosmetics industry. Additionally, he served as a secretary to Eugène Deloncle.
About
Corrèze was affiliated with La Cagoule, an anti-communist organization with fascist tendencies that received financial backing from Eugène Schueller, the founder of L'Oréal. Throughout World War II, Corrèze, alongside Schueller and other company leaders, actively supported the Vichy government. Following a Gestapo attack that resulted in the death of Deloncle and injury to his son, Corrèze managed to escape and subsequently wed Deloncle’s widow.
After the war, Corrèze faced conviction on multiple charges and was sentenced to a decade in prison, of which he served five years. Upon release, he resumed his career at L'Oréal in a senior leadership role and was appointed Chairman of Cosmair, the sole U.S. licensee for L'Oréal.
Corrèze played a pivotal role in discussions with Arab states to mitigate the Arab League’s boycott against L'Oréal after its purchase of Helena Rubinstein Inc., which maintained business activities in Israel.
In 1991, the Office of Special Investigations within the U.S. Department of Justice examined Corrèze for antisemitic conduct and involvement with the anti-communist Légion des volontaires français. That same year, amid public scrutiny, he stepped down from his role at L'Oréal, disputing claims that health issues prompted his resignation. Subsequently expelled from the United States, he passed away from pancreatic cancer in Paris at age 79. His spouse had predeceased him by three years.
See also
Further reading
- Michael Bar-Zohar, Bitter Scent: The Case of L'Oréal, Nazis, and the Arab Boycott, Dutton Books, London, 1996, pp. 264.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1912 births
- 1991 deaths
- French cosmetics businesspeople
- French fascists
- Legion of French Volunteers Against Bolshevism personnel
- L'Oréal people
- People from Auxerre
- French emigrants to the United States
- French prisoners and detainees
- People convicted of indignité nationale
- Nazis deported from the United States