Louis Louis-Dreyfus
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Louis Louis-Dreyfus (September 6, 1867 – November 10, 1940) was a member of the French parliament and co-director of the commodity distribution and trading company, Louis Dreyfus Group.


Biography

Louis-Dreyfus was born in Zurich to a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family, the eldest of three sons of Léopold Louis-Dreyfus (1833–1915) and Emilie Lang (1840–1918).The Cyclopedia of India: biographical, historical, administrative, commercial
retrieved August 16, 2013
His brothers were Charles Louis-Dreyfus (1870–1929) and Robert Louis-Dreyfus (1877–1907). In 1851, his father, the son of a farmer from
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, founded the commodity distributor and trader Louis Dreyfus Group growing the business to the point that in 1900, it was the world's largest grain distributor.Funding Universe: "Groupe Louis Dreyfus S.A. History"
retrieved August 16, 2013
After obtaining his law degree, he joined the family business.
August 17, 2013
In 1915, his father died turning over the family company to sons Louis and Charles who served as co-Directors. In 1917, the Louis Dreyfus Group was forced out of Russia by the Russian Revolution catalyzing their international expansion.Callil, By Carmen
Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family, Fatherland and Vichy France
/ref> During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the firm expanded into the maritime arms trade supplying the belligerents to war. In 1924, they expanded to South Africa and in the 20s and 30s built up their own shipping company, LD Lines. Known as the "King of Wheat," the Dreyfus Group dominated the grain trade through the Great Depression and up to the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
purchasing grain at low cost in producing countries and selling at a higher price in countries that had shortages. Louis-Dreyfus served in the
French Parliament The French Parliament (french: Parlement français) is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate () and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris ...
during the
French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...
as a Deputy from
Lozère Lozère (; oc, Losera ) is a landlocked department in the region of Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the east by Ardèche, to the south by Gard, to the west by Aveyron, ...
from 1905–1910, a Deputy from Alpes-Maritimes from 1930 to 1936, and a Senator from Alpes-Maritimes from 1937 to 1940. He was a member of the Independents of the Left from 1930–1936. The Independents of the Left were one of a number of parliamentary groups that made up the
Democratic Republican Alliance The Democratic Alliance (french: Alliance démocratique, AD), originally called Democratic Republican Alliance (, ARD), was a French political party created in 1901 by followers of Léon Gambetta such as Raymond Poincaré, who would be presiden ...
between 1928 and 1936. Louis-Dreyfus and his brother were shareholders in the French Communist paper ''
l'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...
.''


Property seizures under Vichy France

In July 1940, the Vichy France under Marshal Petain has ordered confiscation of the wealth and private estates of Baron Edouard de Rothschild and Louis Louis-Dreyfus because of their Jewish heritage.


Personal life

In 1906 he married Emma Lévi (1885–?); they had two children: Jean Louis-Dreyfus (1908–2003) and François Louis-Dreyfus (1910–1958). He was nicknamed ''King Two Louis'' by journalist
Léon Daudet Léon Daudet (; 16 November 1867 – 2 July 1942) was a French journalist, writer, an active monarchist, and a member of the Académie Goncourt. Move to the right Daudet was born in Paris. His father was the novelist Alphonse Daudet, his moth ...
and – thanks to his wealth and very public profile as both a politician and businessmen – was often referred to as the "Richest Man in France." Dreyfus died in 1940 in Cannes in a carriage accident. After Louis Louis-Dreyfus's death in 1940, his son Jean, and his two nephews, François Louis-Dreyfus (1909–1958) and
Pierre Louis-Dreyfus Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (17 May 1908 – 15 January 2011) was a French Resistance fighter during World War II who later served as CEO of the Louis Dreyfus Cie. Early life and education Pierre Louis-Dreyfus was born on 17 May 1908 in Paris, one of ...
(1908–2011) took over the family company.LD Commodites website: "Our heritage"
retrieved August 17, 2013


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis-Dreyfus, Louis 1867 births 1940 deaths Politicians from Zürich Louis Louis-Dreyfus Jewish French politicians Radical Party (France) politicians Independents of the Left politicians Members of the 8th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 15th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Senators of the Third Republic Senators of Alpes-Maritimes Businesspeople from Zürich