Jules-Albert de Dion

Jules-Albert de Dion (Nantes, March 10, 1856 – Paris, August 19, 1946) was a pioneer of the French automobile industry and a French politician.

He founded the automobile and railway company De Dion-Bouton in 1883 with his partner Georges Bouton and was highly active in politics, publishing, and the emerging organization of sports competitions.

Biography

Heir to a distinguished French noble family. Initially a Count, later becoming a Marquis after the death of his father Louis Albert Guillaume Joseph de Dion de Wandonne in 1901. Well-connected socially, he was reputed to be an expert duelist.

He had a passion for mechanics, which led to his chance encounter with engineers Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux, who operated a small scientific toy shop in Paris. From this fortunate meeting emerged the prestigious automobile brand that bore his name: De Dion-Bouton. Mechanical inventions such as the De Dion rear axle are linked to his factory.

He also stood out from 1887 as an organizer of automobile sports competitions, often related to publications such as Le Vélocipède Illustré. He was founder of the magazine L'Auto (now known as L'Équipe) and co-founder of the Paris Motor Show.

In politics, he was known for his conservative views. During the famous Dreyfus Affair, which deeply divided French society in the early 20th century, he took a particularly intransigent stance.

He died in 1946 at the age of 90. He is buried at Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. A commemorative plaque exists in the family chapel in the village of Wandonne (municipality of Audincthun) in the Pas-de-Calais department. He resided at the Château de Maubreuil in Carquefou.

The Politician

• General Councilor of the canton of Carquefou from 1899 to 1934.
• Member of Parliament for the Loire-Inférieure department from 1902 to 1923. He occupied an ultraconservative seat, was a vocal opponent of Dreyfus, and a staunch defender of the Catholic Church. He was even arrested during the expulsion of religious congregations from France.
• Senator for the Loire-Inférieure department from 1923 to 1940. He abstained from voting on granting full powers to Marshal Pétain on July 10, 1940, and declared the imperative duty to resist after the armistice with Germany.

The Dreyfus Affair and Its Consequences

The roots of both the Tour de France cycling race and the sports newspaper L'Auto (now L'Équipe) can be traced to the Dreyfus Affair, specifically to De Dion's passionate stance and actions.

In 1899, opinions on the Dreyfus case became highly polarized, sparking demonstrations from both sides. Historian Eugen Weber described an incident at the Paris racetrack where French President Émile Loubet was struck on the head with a cane wielded by De Dion, resulting in a 15-day prison sentence and a 100-franc fine for De Dion. His actions were heavily criticized by Le Vélo, then the largest sports newspaper in France, whose editor Pierre Giffard supported Dreyfus. In response, De Dion withdrew all advertising from the paper, and in 1900, led a group of wealthy anti-Dreyfus manufacturers, including Adolphe Clément-Bayard, to establish L'Auto-Vélo as a direct competitor to Le Vélo. After a court-mandated name change, L'Auto created the Tour de France cycling race in 1903 to boost newspaper sales.

The Automobile and Railway Builder

De Dion, along with partners Georges Bouton and Charles Trépardoux, founded the De Dion-Bouton automobile company in Puteaux in 1883. The company briefly became the world's largest automobile manufacturer. After World War I, it was France's leading manufacturer of railway automotives. He collaborated closely with Raoul Perpère, engineer, geologist, and inventor, who developed the first automobile clutch in history.

Automobile Sports

On April 28, 1887, three De Dion-Bouton steam-powered tricycles traveled from the Neuilly Bridge to Versailles. Georges Bouton arrived first after covering more than 30 kilometers at an average speed of nearly 30 kilometers per hour, completing the journey in just over an hour.

Count Jules de Dion made automotive history seven years later by winning second prize in the world's first automobile competition, the Paris-Rouen race on July 22, 1894, driving a De Dion-Bouton. He also participated in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race of 1895 and the Paris-Marseille-Paris race of 1896. He finished second in the Paris-Dieppe race on July 24, 1897 (winner of his class) and placed fourth in the Paris-Trouville race on August 18 of the same year.

He co-founded the Paris Motor Show in 1898, as well as the Automobile Club of France and the Aéro-Club of France in the same year.

In 1900, he created the newspaper L'Auto. That same year, from May 14 to October 16, he served as Executive Vice President of the Commission for Automobile Sports Competitions (cars, light cars, and motorcycles) during the Sports Competitions of the 1900 Universal Exposition—not officially recognized by the Olympic Committee—held alongside the 1900 Paris Summer Olympic Games, including the four-day Paris-Toulouse-Paris speed race in July. He was awarded a Gold Plaque for "lightweight" vehicles (small, low-power cars) on October 16. Competitions were held from September 17 to 22. He also won two other Gold Plaques for "heavy" vehicles with a steam-powered bus and truck (competition held October 8 to 13).

See Also

• History of the automobile
• Motorsport
• De Dion-Bouton, automobile and railway manufacturer

Bibliography

• "Jules de Dion", in Robert and Cougny, Dictionary of French Parliamentarians, 1889