François de Wendel

François de Wendel
Deputy for Meurthe-et-Moselle
In office 1914–1933
Senator for Meurthe-et-Moselle
In office 1933–1940
Personal details
Born	(1874-05-05)5 May 1874 Paris
Died	Paris
Nationality	French
Occupation	Industrialist, politician

François de Wendel (5 May 1874 – 13 January 1949) was a French industrialist and politician.

Life

François de Wendel was born in Paris on 5 May 1874. His parents were Henri de Wendel and Berthe de Vaulserre. He studied in Paris from 1891, obtained a bachelors degree in letters and sciences and in 1900 became a mining civil engineer. He married Odette Humann.

In 1903 François de Wendel became one of the gérants of the family business with his brothers Humbert and Maurice de Wendel, and his cousins. Over the years he also became a director of many companies, including the Société métallurgique de Knutange, Société électrique des Houillères du Pas-de-Calais, Étains et wolfram du Tonkin, Mines de Crespin, Étains du Cameroun, Compagnie indochinoise de métallurgie and Commission des ardoisières d’Angers (1931). He was a regent of the Bank of France from 1913 to 1936. He was president of the Comité des forges de France from 1918 to 1940.

François de Wendel was elected a general councillor for Meurthe-et-Moselle in 1907, and again in 1931. He was elected a deputy for Meurthe-et-Moselle in 1914, and was reelected in 1919, 1924 and 1932. He was elected a senator for Meurthe-et-Moselle from 1933 to 1940. In 1940 he refrained from going to Vichy to vote full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain.

After World War II (1939–45) François de Wendel put his energy into rebuilding the Meurthe-et-Moselle metallurgical factories, and was also interested in the coal industry of Limburg in the Netherlands. François de Wendel died in Paris on 13 January 1949.