Joseph Lamy
Joseph Lamy (20 July 1881 – 3 June 1947) was a French industrialist who co-founded the Amilcar automobile company with Émile Akar.[1]
Early life
Lamy was born in 1881 in Courtomer, Orne. At age 19 he emigrated to Russia, learned Russian in a few months, and became a French instructor at Saint Petersburg State University. He also worked as a correspondent for the newspaper L'Ouest-Éclair, reporting on journeys including the Trans-Siberian Railway, Macedonia, and Korea.
Career
Around 1908 Lamy returned to France and became director of the Monaco taxi service. He then joined the Le Zèbre automobile company in Paris as commercial director, investing capital in the firm.
In 1921 he partnered with financier Émile Akar to found the Amilcar automobile company. Lamy oversaw sales and marketing, while Akar provided the financial backing. Under their leadership Amilcar became popular among celebrities and royalty, including King Carol II of Romania and King Alfonso XIII of Spain. By 1925 Lamy was earning 300 000 gold francs a year, yet lived modestly and donated generously to his hometown, where he served as mayor.
In parallel with his automotive ventures, Lamy opened the Grand Teddy nightclub at 24 rue Caumartin in Paris (1921–1923), a fashionable venue frequented by “all of Paris.”
After leaving Amilcar in 1927, he served as the French distributor for Hudson and Essex automobiles until 1935. He collaborated briefly with driver André Morel in the 1929 and 1931 Tour de France Automobile events.
From 1935 to 1940 Lamy pursued projects in exhaust gas technology and synthetic gasoline—ventures that ultimately lost money—and financed a rubber plantation project in the Amazon.
During World War II (1941–1945) he founded “Le Français,” a successful woodgas generator business that equipped many trucks in occupied France.
Death
Lamy died in Paris in 1947 after a prolonged illness.
See also
- Amilcar
- Émile Akar