Pierre Jacques Dormoy

Pierre Jacques Dormoy (November 25, 1825 in Couthenans, Haute-Saône, France - July 30, 1892 in Bordeaux, Gironde) was a French engineer, inventor, industry captain, the creator of the Dormoy foundries as well as a political and economic personality in Bordeaux. His political activities in Bordeaux were instrumental in arousing the political vocation of his son, Albert Dormoy, an MP for the Gironde département.[1]

Biography

Family

Jacques Pierre Dormoy was born in Couthenans on November 25, 1825 into a Protestant family. He was one of the twelve children of Pierre Dormoy Louis (1787-1860) and Suzanne Marguerite Dormoy (1794-1870). He married Jeanne Elisabeth Geraud (1835-1892), who gave him a son, Albert Dormoy.[2][3]

Studies

Jacques Pierre Dormoy obtained an engineering degree from the Chalon-sur-Saône School of Arts and Crafts at the age of 20 after three years of study (1842-1845).[1][4]

The engineer

After several years as a “skilful engineer and designer” in some of the major construction firms in Paris (he was a foreman first at Gouin, where his skills made quite an impression, then at the Tronchon metalworking firm), he became in 1856 a foreman of cars and wagons ("chef de la carrosserie”) to the newly established Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (Midi Railway Company) in Bordeaux.[1][4]

The industry Captain

A few years later, in 1862, he founded the Dormoy foundry, a bronze foundry specializing in both industrial products and works of art[5][6] which was flourishing after some initial difficulties.[4]

The inventor

Jacques Pierre Dormoy was the inventor in 1853 of a "glazing system",[7] the co-inventor in 1854, with Antoine Abraham Champeaux, of a "circular rolling mill" for producing tires for rail vehicles.,[8][9] in 1857, with Guillaume de Saint-Christophe, a lubrication mode called "hydrostatic lubrication" ("boîte Dormoy").[10][11] and, in 1859, with Théophile Dubois, a car cover system called "mixed covering."[12]

The Republican

A member of the Republican Party in Bordeaux,[1] he was described as "a sincere Republican and as firm as moderate."[4]

The administrator

He was councillor and deputy mayor of Bordeaux for 20 years, from 1871 to 1892, mainly for publics works [13] (under Mayor Albert Brandenburg – 1878-1884 –, he was deputy in charge of military affairs and fires).[14]

The philanthropist

He also chaired the Bordeaux Voltaire Circle and founded in 1867 the Friends of Basic Education Society.[1][4]

He was also one of the first members of the Society of Arts et Métiers Alumni.[4]

Last moments

Suffering from a serious disease for two years, he died on July 30, 1892 at Bordeaux[4]

He was buried in the Protestant cemetery of Bordeaux.[4]

The management of the foundry was taken over by his son, Albert Dormoy, in 1894.[1][4]

Awards

He was a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms.

Tribute

The municipality of Bordeaux honoured him by giving his name to a square of the town: "place Pierre Jacques Dormoy".

Bibliography
  • Sylvie Guillaume, Bernard Lachaise, Dictionnaire des parlementaires d'Aquitaine sous la Troisième République, Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 1998, Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux, 1998 (read online)
  • Charles Verrier, Notice nécrologique de Pierre Dormoy, in Bulletin administratif no 8, août 1892, p. 495-500 (read online)

References
  1. (Sylvie Guillaume, Bernard Lachaise 1998, p. 228).
  2. Pierre Dormoy, sur patronsdefrance.fr.
  3. Descendance de Pierre Louis Dormoy. He was the son of a blacksmith farrier.
  4. Charles Verrier, Notice nécrologique de Pierre Dormoy [Pierre Dormoy’s obituary], in Bulletin administratif No 8, août 1892, p. 495-500.
  5. (Sylvie Guillaume, Bernard Lachaise 1998, p. 227).
  6. Based in Bègles, the company still exists today after having changed its name from “fonderies Dormoy de Bacalan” to “Maison de la fonte” in 1994 ; see Maison de la fonte Archived 2016-05-17 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. Bulletin des lois, 1855, n°257, p. 109.
  8. Bulletin des lois, vol. 6, 1856, p. 168.
  9. Jacques-Eugène Armengaud (aîné), Publication industrielle des machines, outils et appareils les plus perfectionnés et les plus récents employés dans les différentes branches de l'industrie française et étrangère, vol. 16, Mathias, 1866, p. 244.
  10. Bulletin des lois, 1860, n°808, p. 961.
  11. Bruylant-Christophe, Bulletin du Musée de l'industrie, vol. 40, 1861, p. 31 & seq.
  12. Bulletin des lois, 1861, n°882, p. 1233.
  13. Patrick Epron, Ces Bordelais qui font Bordeaux et sa région, P.P.C. [Promo public campus], 1979, p. 1976.
  14. Histoire des maires de Bordeaux, Les Dossiers d'Aquitaine, 2008, 523 pages, p. 344.
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