Ernest Charles "Émile" Mathis (15 March 1880 – 3 August 1956) was a French businessman who founded the car firm Mathis in 1910. (Before the frontier moved in 1919, he would have considered himself a German businessman and the car firm was a German business.) The son of a

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

hotelier, Mathis was born in

, which at the time was in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Between 1902 and 1904, he worked for the car firm

Lorraine-Dietrich Lorraine-Dietrich was a French language, French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer ''Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie de Lunéville'' (k ...

, with

Ettore Bugatti Ettore Arco Isidoro Bugatti (15 September 1881 – 21 August 1947) was a Franco-Italian automobile designer and manufacturer. He received French citizenship in 1946 and is remembered as the founder and proprietor of the automobile manufacturing c ...

. In 1904, Mathis and Bugatti designed the Hermes car, which for some reason was known as the "Burlington" when sold in England. Mathis founded his own car company in 1910 and the following year was a protagonist of the small, multi-cylinder engine, probably inspired by Bugatti. In 1907, Mathis developed a large factory in Strasbourg, where his cars were later made. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Mathis looked for a partner for his firm and eventually chose Ford of America in 1934. The firm was briefly known as "Matford" (''Mat''his + Ford). Following the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, as the German army invaded France, Mathis escaped to America, where he lived and worked throughout the war. He returned to Europe in 1946. Mathis died after falling out of a hotel window in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

in 1956.

Literature

* Pierre Haas: ''Émile Mathis - Passionnément automobile'', Portraits célèbres d'Alasce, Éditions Vent d'Est (2013)

References

Businesspeople from Strasbourg 1880 births 1956 deaths Burials at Passy Cemetery History of the automobile French founders of automobile manufacturers Accidental deaths in Switzerland {{France-business-bio-stub