French engineer
Jules Antoine Marie Philippe Aubrun
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Born
| (
1881-10-23
)
23 October 1881
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Died
| 8 February 1959
(1959-02-08)
(aged 77)
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Nationality
| French
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Occupation(s)
| Engineer, financier, company president.
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Jules Antoine Marie Philippe Aubrun
(23 October 1881 ? 8 February 1959) was a French engineer.
He served as an executive in various mining and steel making companies, and helped coordinate the iron and steel industry in France before, during and after
World War II
(1939?45).
Early years
[
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]
Jules Antoine Marie Philippe Aubrun was born on 23 October 1881 in
Montlucon
, Allier.
His parents were Philippe Aubrun (d. 1929), an inspector of primary education, and Marie Louise Momiron.
He studied at the College de Boulogne-sur-Mer, then completed his studies at the
Lycee Louis-le-Grand
in Paris.
In 1900 he was accepted by both the
Ecole Normale Superieure
and the
Ecole Polytechnique
, and chose the latter.
He graduated in 1902.
In 1903 he married Emma Vidor (1882?1970), daughter of Auguste Vidor (1857?1913).
His father-in-law was a shipowner of
Boulogne-sur-Mer
and administrator of the
Bank of France
.
Aubrun studied at the
Ecole des Mines de Paris
and became a member of the
Corps des mines
.
He worked as an administrator for the mines in the Arras Mineralogical District in the aftermath of the
Courrieres mine disaster
of 10 March 1906.
He came to the attention of two prominent masters of mining techniques,
Henry Kuss
(1852?1914) and Lucien Francois Fevre (1862?1935), and worked with them to update their work on exploitation of mines.
In 1913 he joined the Societe des Forges et Acieries du Donetz, and from then on was primarily concerned with the iron and steel industry.
At the start of
World War I
(1914?18) Aubrun was mobilized as a captain of artillery.
He fought on the
Yser
front.
As the war dragged on the country faced huge armaments problems, with all efforts concentrated in the Creusot, Loire and Midi regions.
Aubrun was assigned to the
Poudrerie nationale de Vonges
in 1915.
In 1916 he was moved to the manufacturing control department at the
Schneider-Creusot
, where he remained until the end of hostilities.
Inter-war period
[
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]
The General Directorate of Schneider-Creusot offered Aubrun employment as managing director on demobilization.
He spent two years at the head of the Department of Mines at the General Secretariat, then was promoted to the Directorate General on 1 January 1921, vacated by the death of Fournier.
He also held many directorships in Creusot subsidiaries in France and abroad including iron mines, pipe foundries, heavy and fine steel, shipyards and electrical construction.
In 1929 his friend Frantzen, a former chief engineer of Mines and consulting engineer at
Banque Lazard Freres
, left the bank for
Citroen
.
Aubrun was offered the job, which he performed for ten years, in effect as a partner at the bank.
Aubrun continued to be involved at the highest levels in the iron and steel industry, which was in great difficulties in France and other countries of Europe.
This led to the
International Steel Agreement
, and national agreements in each country.
In France the industry was organized under the Comptoir Siderurgique de France.
The Comptoir implemented an arbitration procedure where a three-member panel forced resolution of disagreements between members, balancing the rights and obligations of each member with the interests of consumers.
Aubrun was a member of the first panel, from 1932 to 1935.
World War II
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]
Under the
Vichy regime
the
Comite des forges
, the steel makers association, was dissolved by decree on 9 November 1940.
It was replaced by the Comite d'organisation de la siderurgie (CORSID ? Organizing Committee for the Iron and Steel Industry).
Jules Aubrun was appointed president of committee.
Aubrun and the other CORSID members now coordinated the steel industry.
The significant change was to pass control from the presidents of the largest steelworks to senior managers of second-ranked steelworks.
The committee had the task of organizing the wartime steel industry, covering issues such as collecting statistics, setting prices, overseeing manufacturing programs, distributing raw materials, managing labor and regulating competition.
It also had the difficult task of dealing with the German occupying authorities, who constantly demanded output from the French industry.
Later career
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]
The French Steel Makers' Association (Chambre syndicale de la Siderurgie) was reconstituted in December 1944 and Aubrun was appointed president.
He played a leading role in organising the post-war reconstruction of the industry.
Aubrun was made a commander of the
Legion of Honour
on 10 July 1947.
He expressed strong concerns to
Jean Monnet
about whether
Robert Schuman
's plan for integration of the European coal and steel industry would meet the needs of the French steel makers.
With his health failing, he made Pierre Ricard his deputy in 1952, and next year Ricard succeeded him as president of the chamber, while he retained the title of honorary president.
Possibly Aubrun's opposition to the Schuman Plan hastened his departure.
In September 1954 Aubrun was asked by the flat steel products company
Sollac
(Societe Lorraine de Laminage Continu) to assume the post of president, replacing
Leon Daum
, who had been called to serve in the
High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community
in
Luxembourg
.
He was also Vice-Chairman of the Bank of Paris and the Netherlands and a director of many companies.
In 1954 he became a member of the Council of Regents of the Catholic Institute of Paris.
Jules Aubrun died on 8 February 1959.
Notes
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]
Sources
[
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]
- Aron, Aexis (February 1960),
"Jules Aubrun"
,
La Jaune et la Rouge
(in French)
, retrieved
2017-07-10
- Brunet, Luc-Andre (2017-06-08),
Forging Europe: Industrial Organisation in France, 1940?1952
, Springer,
ISBN
978-1-349-95198-7
, retrieved
2017-07-03
- Favre, Jean Herve,
"Auguste Vidor"
,
Geneanet
(in French)
, retrieved
2017-07-10
- Jules Antoine Marie Philippe Aubrun (1881-1959)
(in French), Annales des Mines
, retrieved
2017-07-10
- Kipping, Matthias; Bjarnar, Ove (2002-09-11),
The Americanisation of European Business
, Routledge,
ISBN
978-1-134-69373-3
, retrieved
2017-07-10
- Monnet, Jean (1950),
Letter from Jean Monnet to Jules Aubrun (17 November 1950)
, L’Universite du Luxembourg
, retrieved
2017-07-10