Hilaire de Chardonnet
The count Hilaire de Chardonnet , born Louis-Marie Hilaire Bernigaud de Chardonnet (1839 - 1924), is an engineer Scientifique and Industriel of inventive Besancon, of the artificial Soie and founder of an important industry of the textile of Besancon (renamed Rhodia in 1954 after repurchase by Rhône-Poulenc).
Biography
Wire of an old father Royalist Sub-prefect under the restoration of French monarchy between 1814 and 1830, it is born on May 1st 1839 with 2 place Jean-Cornet with Besancon in the old hotel Bruchon (hotel Small-at-Marivat 1732).
Polytechnic study
It follows studies to the Faculty of Science of Besancon; it is then allowed with the Polytechnic school in 1859 with the future President of the French Republic Sadi Carnot (promotion X1857).
Exile political in Austria with the French revolution
In 1861 it expresses its hostility and its intention not to be used the Second Empire as Napoleon III while resigning of the Polytechnic school from where it leaves despite everything civil engineer and exiles in Austria with the count de Chambord Henri d' Artois from where they work for their political ideas and his royalist interests.It Marie with Marie-Antoine Camille de Ruoltz-Montchall. From this union, will be born Anne from Hanging-post (1869 - 1926), sculptor and raises sculptors Mathurin Moreau and Jules Franceschi, then viscountess de Pardieu.
After the death of the count de Chambord in 1883, the count Hilaire de Chardonnet moves away from the policy, seeks to forget its disillusions and to be resigned to the new Republic.
Scientific researcher multi disciplinary
He then engages completely in a career of Enquiring Scientifique to which he devoted much of his time already. He creates in his house of the place of the Staff with Besancon an important laboratory and is interested inter alia in the Téléphone, with the Automobile, the ultraviolet rays, the Photographie in the darkness…
Study of natural silk
He is in charge of a study on a disease of the Silkworm (Sériciculture) which strikes the French textile industry of then under the orientation of the inhabitant of Franche-Comté Louis Pasteur. He has then the idea to try to reproduce in laboratory, then in industry, one of the most delicate creations of nature: the Silk.
Invention of artificial silk
He installs its first workshop of search and experimentation for artificial silk spinning mill with Gergy close to Châlon-sur-saône in the villa “the White Cross” which he inherited his father.In 1884, old 45 years, it enters then the history of the large inventors and knows the celebrity and fortune by inventing the artificial Soie containing Cellulose and of Collodion and while managing to obtain same quality as with natural silk: shining, tenuity, lightness… It deposits a Brevet this same year for the manufacture of artificial wire starting from the Nitrocellulose.
He is elected with the Academy of Science of Besancon under the presidency of the Republic of Sadi Carnot then devotes thirty years of his life to his invention.
Industrial production of artificial silk
In 1892 it launches out in the completely new industrial production of the artificial silk textile by creating its first factories to Besancon compete with of it very advantageously the imported natural silk of China and the Japan.The May 12th 1919, it is elected member of the Academy of Science of the Institut of France, section applications of science to industry.
Disappearance and succession
It disappears the March 11th 1924 with Paris at the 85 years age, poor with the image of the inventive scientists who devote all that they gain with their ideas and their single desire to be useful for the Humanité.In 1954 its factories of Besancon are repurchased by Rhône-Poulenc Textile, renamed Rhodia and specialized in manufacture of the wire Nylon and Tergal before closing definitively their door in 1981 following competition of the textile international.
A college of Châlon-sur-saône in Burgundy bears its name.
See too