Paul Decauville
Paul Decauville was a French engineer, industrialist, and politician, born on June 7, 1846, in Évry-Petit-Bourg, now Évry (Essonne), and died on June 29, 1922, in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine).[1][2] He also served as mayor of the town of Évry and as senator for Seine-et-Oise.
Biographical Information
Paul Decauville is known as the inventor of a railway system that bears his name, earning him a gold medal at the 1878 Universal Exposition. Over time, the name "Decauville" became associated with narrow-gauge railways.
His name is also linked to the municipalities of Corbeil-Essonnes and Évry, where the Decauville company established its factories.
In 1899, Decauville participated in the first automobile race featuring cars that carried his name, the Nice-Castellane-Nice race, where he finished in 15th place.[3]
In 1910, he founded a company to exploit the patents he had developed. This company, Comptoir de Outillage, remained active until the late 1980s. Another company, EmiDecau, specialized in hydraulic presses, still exists today under the name Pinette EmiDecau Industries (based in Chalon-sur-Saône).
Another Decauville factory, created by him and his family in Marquette-lez-Lille, produced public works machinery and mining equipment and materials. It operated from 1923 to 1968.
In politics, Paul Decauville served as mayor of Évry from 1881 to 1892. He was also a senator for Seine-et-Oise from 1890 to 1900 and a member of the Customs Committee. After leaving the Paris region, he also served for a time as mayor of the town of Saint-Léger (in the Manche department).
See Also
- Decauville company
- Decauville railway system
- Decauville automobiles
- Henequen industry in Yucatán
Sources
- "Paul Decauville," in the Dictionary of French Parliamentarians (1889-1940), edited by Jean Jolly, 1960.
References
- ↑ Birth register of Évry (Essonne) (1846), Departmental Archives of Essonne
- ↑ French Senate Archives
- ↑ Competition results for Decauville Voiturettes from 1899 to 1902