Auguste Dreyfus

Auguste Dreyfus was born with Wissembourg in the the Low-Rhine the June 28th 1827. He dies in Paris on May 25th 1897.

Free-Peruvian personality of the business world of the XIXe century

Its family

Auguste Dreyfus, born in an Jewish family of Wissembourg, on June 28th, 1827, is the tenth of the twelve children of the merchant Edouard Dreyfus (1788 - 1866) and of his wife Sara Marx (1791 - 1865). He is puiné of their seven boys. The family, however established well since the beginning of the XVIIIe century with Wissembourg, where several Dreyfus families live trade, expatriate in 1852 and settles with Paris

De Wissembourg in Lima

In 1858, Auguste Dreyfus joined the business firm Dreyfus Frères & Co , a small house of trade, specialized in the trade of fabrics and articles of innovation , founded in August 1852 by three of his/her brothers, Prosper, Jerome and Isidore.

The new statutes envisage an slight increase of the capital, passing from 60.000 to 650.000 francs, and an at the same time sectoral extension of the activities one will not be limited any more to the textile and geographical with creation of a branch with Lima. Auguste leaves to settle over there the same year and imports the first goods of France. He is not long in becoming the key man of the family. His/her brothers are erased the ones after the others so that Auguste with the orders as from June 1869 remains alone. Its success astonishes the Peruvian historians because it very late and fast. It presents it like obscure and poor trading of shoddy goods before 1869, which is very exaggerated.

In 1866, for example, Isidore Dreyfus withdraws this company, by yielding all its rights to his/her brothers, Leon and in Auguste. He recovers 500.000 francs, of which 100.00 are paid at the time of its departure and the balance, 400.000, in December 1868. A tradesman who has 500.000 francs it is very rare in 1868. This sum represents the price of a small castle and 1.000 hectares of good grounds.

With the Peru, Auguste Dreyfus makes the trade of objects, products and food products of luxury. He attends the high society, the important politicians. He converts with Catholicism little before his marriage with Lima, on August 15th, 1862, with Sofia Bergman, Peruvian.

Control on the Guano of the Peru

The signature of the contract

Auguste Dreyfus takes down the July 5th 1869 what one will not fail to name the contract of the century, the Dreyfus contract. The monopoly of the sale in Europe of two million tons of Peruvian Guano, one resale value of 625 franc million, in exchange of a payment of 365 million!

Auguste Dreyfus signs with the minister this contract with the Minister for Finance Nicolás de Piérola Villena. He makes a success of the exploit of évincer thus a powerful European trade union of businesses led by Gibbs & Sons , in which take part the Parisian traders Thomas, Lachambre & Co and of the baron Emile d' Erlanger.

The Schroders bank of the City, supports it and takes care of the emission of the loans of 1870 to 1872.

Why the Peruvians sign this contract?

At the time to which the Minister for Finance Nicolás de Piérola Villena signs this contract the financial position of the Peru is disastrous. Since the beginnings of the exploitation of the Guano up to 1868, more than seven million tons of this manure one sold, quantity that according to the estimates of the civils servant of the Government produced more than 218.693.625 of grounds. But this sum was quickly spent and produced a debt of 45.000.000 of grounds and a deficit of 17.000.000 of grounds. The lack of budget estimates, the absence of a financial policy, the spoliations exerted by part of the co-signatories seemed the most immediate persons in charge that this catastrophe.

The president of Peru, Jose Balta trusts his friend, Auguste Dreyfus and his relations, to leave Peru this dead end. Jose Balta and her Minister for Finance are quite conscious that this market will generate enormous benefit.

To this source of profit, are added load of financial agent of the Peru. Auguste Dreyfus commits itself to ensure the Peruvian debt servicing and making advances to the government for an amount of 75 million francs the first year and 67 million the following years. Article 32 of the contract provides that the government will mortgage all the incomes of the nation if guano is not enough to cover these advances.

The agreement is ratified with the Peru on August 17th, 1869. Dreyfus writes on August 21st with Charles Herpin, director of the the General society, that it is largest, most lucrative, the most positive business which exists in the world .

The business exceeds its means however: also it forms as of on July 6th, 1869 with the General society and the international mission of trade Leiden, Premsel & Co the participation or trade union guano , able to provide the 60 million capital necessary to the starting of the pump; while its partners bring, store, treat and run out produces it.

General society 22.500.000 francs
Premsel there Co 22.500.000 “
Auguste Dreyfus 15.000.000 “

60.000.000 francs of 1870.

In short, Auguste Dreyfus is with the head of a true multinational which transports from 1870 to 1880 1,8 million tons of Guano on 2.000 ships beating eight houses.

Competition

The stake is such as Dreyfus, which reserved 60% of the clear benefits, becomes the target of attacks come from all shares. It runs up initially against the coalition of its évincés English competitors which obtain the cancellation of its contract by the Peruvian supreme court in November 1869. A million francs of bribes are necessary to obtain an opposite vote of the Congress in April 1870 to which 850.000 francs in the months are added which follow to preserve the confidence of the Peruvian government.

The putsch of the summer 1872 carries to the capacity to Lima one of its adversaries: it can only note that all the incomes of the Guano were absorbed by the debt servicing, weighed down considerably by the loans of 1870 and 1872 which had been emitted by Dreyfus on behalf of the preceding government.

In November 1873, forwardings of Guano are blocked, but an arrangement is concluded on April 14th 1874, according to which Auguste Dreyfus commits itself fulfilling his obligations until January 1st 1875, date on which the accounts will have to be balanced. In the event of flow of the Peruvian government, Dreyfus Frères will have the right to export all the Guano necessary to the refunding of its credit.

The Peru negotiates in slide a competitor contract, signed on June 7th 1876, with a financier of the City, Sir Raphaël, which, with the head of the Peruvian Guano Company , should take the changing of Dreyfus as from November 1876. At this time, the participation Guano has a credit on the Peru of 112 franc million, which accounted for 25% of the national budget!

Instead of composing, Auguste Dreyfus chooses the confrontation: the value of its stocks is affected by the price war which its rival causes. Having ceased paying the interests of the Peruvian debt starting from January 1st, 1876, Auguste Dreyfus is attacked in justice by the British carriers. The ship-owners put themselves at it in their turn.

The war enters Peru and Chile

To finish, it is scrambled with the General society, which had released it to give its support for Sir Raphaël, and it approaches to the industrial and commercial Crédit and the Finance company and commercial of the Pacific which had made profitable a new Peruvian revolution, the war between Peru and Chile, and the conquest by this last of the islands with Guano to take down in its turn, in 1880, a sale contract of guano.

In December 1880, the credit of Dreyfus on the Peruvian state, recognized by notarial act of December 1st, 1880 is still of 3.214.388 £ (either 81 franc million approximately).

All its businesses find their conclusion with the court. Fifty four lawyers, among whom Waldeck-Rousseau, pleads for Auguste Dreyfus in three groups of lawsuit: ones brought by Dreyfus Brothers , supported by the French government, against the governments Peruvian and Chilean; others between members of the participation Guano, marked in particular by the suicide of Premsel, on November 12th, 1885, and its setting in bankruptcy, like by the resignation of Guillaume Denière of the presidency of the General society, in February 1886; finally actions carried out by the under-participants against Auguste Dreyfus; some of these conflicts will find their conclusion in front of the international authorities only at the end of the years 1930.

In its will of March 11th 1892, Auguste Dreyfus evokes these fights supported during 25 years, without precedent perhaps, in safeguard of considerable interests, entrusted to my management and in defense of my name!! Gigantic fights! It gains all its lawsuits, but the Guerre of the Pacific (1879-1884) puts a term at the commercial pursuits of Dreyfus and delays by two decades the adjustment of its accounts with the Peruvian government.

Opulence

The Guano makes it possible Auguste Dreyfus to constitute in little time the considerable fortune, perhaps most important in the world…

I. total Benefit of the participation. A. In dividends:

1871 : 7.278,969.39 francs
1872: 7.815,267.70 francs
1873: 10.737,944.34 francs
1874: 15.197,910.22 francs
1875: 14.106,090.47 francs
1876: 11.282,578.06 francs
1877: 5.853,094.45 francs
1878: 10.610,330.78 francs
1881: 3.093,257.94 francs
1882: 5.205,583.85 francs

B. In interests:

45.000,000.00 francs of 1871 to 1882.

As of October 1871, widower and without child, it marries in second weddings Luisa González Orbegoso (1847-1924), marchioness of Villahermosa, grand-daughter of the marshal Luis Jose de Orbegoso there Moncada, one of the first presidents of the Peruvian republic, by act of January 18th, 1873 with Lima and of November 12th, 1873 in Paris VIIIe. Four children, two boys and two girls, will be born from this union.

Its Parisian purchases, its furniture, its collections…

Auguste Dreyfus starts by buying in November 1874 an imposing neo-classic hotel, located 3, rue Ruysdael, whose crossings give on the Parc Heap. It accumulates there extraordinary collections of works of art, of which it make draw up the inventory, item by item, object by object, ten years later: main works are perhaps the old tables (Velasquez, Zurbaran, Murillo, Goya, Rubens, Ruysdael, Lorraine the) and modern (Courbet, Corot or Meissonier) which decorate the walls. But it would be necessary to also quote the Flemish tapestries of XVIe century, the embroideries at the small point of XVIe Spanish century, the tapestries of the Goblins and Beauvais, a marvellous collection of snuffboxes, candy boxes, ladies of the manor and watches of the XVIIIe century, the parts of goldsmitheries, the Japanese vases or bronze Chinese, the ivories and jades, the lacquers of China, Peruvian antiquities, the porcelains and earthenware, the weapons old, etc

On the second floor, is, beside the library, the small cabinet of the fabrics where the 335 estimated invaluable fabric parts are preserved 8.000 francs: wrap of China or reign of Louis XV, cushions in embroidery Persian of silk, cushions of gondole Venetian of the XVIIIe century, pieces of silk in breadths of time Louis XV or Louis XVI, gold embroidery, stoles and chasubles, covers in Damas or satin, passementerie and laces… The eleven trunks of wood which contained a service in vermeil of Odiot of 500 parts including 98 dishes, the eleven wall cupboards of the office where were the crystal and porcelain services as well as the twenty wall cupboards of the linen room also testified to the unequalled ostentation, of opulence in which Auguste Dreyfus lives.

Auguste Dreyfus supplements his inheritance by many acquisitions:

in 1879 a ground, Pereire boulevard, where it makes build stables, in three bodies of building, designed to accommodate 17 horses and to shelter its 10 cars
in March 1888, several buildings with the bottom of the Rue of Louvre, paid 4.8 franc million

Its purchases in province

In October of the same year, the Castle of Pontchartrain, work of François Mansart and Ours, its field of 800 hectares, sold by the count Henckel de Donnersmarck, diplomat and husband of Païva.

In Ponchartrain Dreyfus entrusts important work to the architect Emile Boeswillwald. It is one of the most beautiful fields of France, all the beauties are accumulated there, water superb and extended, huntings of forest and plain of first order, drives out with short if one wants, splendid greenhouses, superb trees, flowers in abundance, game with profusion, in a word an absolutely royal unit.

Auguste Dreyfus also buys important wine fields:

In 1890, the castle of Holy-Eugenie with 150 hectares with the Soler and the field of the Farmhouse-Déous with 304 hectares, with Trouillas, both meadows of Perpignan
In 1893, the castle of Reyssou and its 136 hectares, with Vertheuil, in the Medoc.

In its various properties, it on the whole employs 65 people, including 13 servants in Paris. Finally it has with the Peru several haciendas, of the ranchos and the huertas, estimated in 1890 at 4.650.000 francs.

Its relations with the politicians

This immense fortune makes it possible Dreyfus to be generous. It distributes during its life more than 3 million francs to his brothers and sisters and bequeaths 650.000 francs to found with Lima an institution of free education for young girls.

Auguste Dreyfus is very related to the republican personnel of his time: he is a close relation of Jules Grévy, its first defender who receives it, with his family, in his castle of Mount-under-Vaudrey. He indicates, in a first will gone back to 1890, Waldeck-Rousseau like executor.

Auguste Dreyfus is in spite of his conversion one of the favorite targets of the anti-semites: … the liberal sheets quote with praise the will of a Jew, Auguste Dreyfus, nephew of MF Dreyfus, manufacturing cloths in Metz… all its fortune bequeathed to institutes of pity and charity Jews and catholic . The Court refuses by a decree to grant French nationality to the one of its sons. Auguste Dreyfus falls ill and knows himself condemned. He sells part of his collections of objets d'art and tables with the gallery Georges Petit, in June 1896. Two sumptuous folio catalogs announce the sale which lasts 5 days. He dies in Paris on May 25th 1897. Its funerals are celebrated in the church Saint-Philippe-of-Rolls in the presence of many personalities of which Clemenceau and Waldeck-Rousseau which makes a speech on its tomb.

Its descendants

His/her children make, after his death, of society weddings . Its two sons become respectively, in May and in March 1907, the sons-in-law of Archambaud of Talleyrand-Périgord:

Archambault Anatole Paul (1845-1918), 3rd marquis de Talleyrand │ X (1876) Marie de Gontaut-Biron (1847-1918) │ │ │ ├──> Anne (1877-1945) │ │ X (March 15th, 1907) Edouard Joseph Dreyfus there Gonzalez, duke of Premio Real (1876-1941) │ │ of which posterity │ │ │ ├──> Félicie (1878-1981) │ │ X (May 1907) Louis Dreyfus there Gonzalez, marquis de Villahermosa (1874-1965) │ │ of which posterity

Their marriages appear in the Almanach of Gotha . They hold a living room Dreyfusard, in Paris, where all Périclès of IIIe republic is pressed. Albert Monniot is struck with blows of cane, by one of wire of Auguste Dreyfus. Dreyfus-Gonzalez are shown to be at the origin of the disorganization of the Church of France, revenge of the Jews and Mrs Dreyfus-Gonzalez to be the confidante and inspirer of Waldeck-Rousseau . She however received in her hotel the religious authorities and to try to support a compromise and she is an enthusiastic catholic.

His/her daughter, Emilie Dreyfus married Herve de Lyrot Edouard Drumont constantly showing the Jews to betray France and to mark her reprobation to him, the pope Leon XIII poses, distinguished honor, in person, for Edouard Joseph Dreyfus there Gonzalez who is partly of Jewish origins. This table will be exposed to the Salon of 1905 (Georges Bernanos, Oeuvres , 1947, p. 281) and of Anne Helene of Talleyrand-Périgord wife the Viscount Rene de Lyrot of Jarry (1885-1924), wire of Louis Lyrot of Jarry, going down from the Vendean general François de Lyrot and from Labrousse, back-small-niece of Agathe de Rambaud, the Lullaby of the Children of France . Rene de Lyrot dies in the Peru in 1924, Emilie Dreyfus will marry in second weddings the brother of Rene de Lyrot, the count de Lyrot Herve de Lyrot.

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