Paulin Talabot

Biography

Polytechnicien (X1819 Promotion), body of the Bridges and Chaussées. Paulin Talabot is the son of a lawyer of the présidial of Limoges, his father François Talabot, was the first of his line to be extracted from his condition from peasant. Of modest and catholic origin, the father had satisfaction to see three of his four sons entering to Polytechnique of which Leon, who was associated with Paulin in many businesses and with Rothschild.

Disciple of Barthelemy Childish Prosper, he was later a large contractor of railroads and a large French captain of industry.

The mining company of Rochebelle and the forging mills of Tamaris (Ales) directed by the Soult marshal having invited it to improve transport of coal between Ales and the channel of the South Beaucaire - Acute-Dead (1829 - 1834) in the Gard, close to Nimes, Talabot chooses finally the railroad, because of the low water level of Gardon d' Alès in summer. This last creates then in 1836 " the Company of the mines of Large-Combe the and of the railroads of Gard". During voyages in England, it went to be formed at Robert and George Stephenson which initiates it and helps it to install its own railroad between Beaucaire and Grand' Combe where large coal layers wait. The station of Ners between Nimes and Alès is besides of English architecture, true wink of Paulin Talabot to his British Masters. Manufacturer of the first lines in the South-east of the France with in particular for collaborator Charles Dombre, it studies the junction of the the Mediterranean to the Red Sea (1845 - 1847), and gets busy by fusions to form the Compagnie of the railroad the Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean (PLM), of which he becomes the managing director (1862 - 1882). With Jules Test cards, It modernizes the port and rebuilds the docks of Marseilles (about 1856), city to which it is particularly attached.

In Algeria, it carries out projects of railroads and maritime transport, and mining (company of Mokta el Hadid, iron mines).

It also took part in the development of the Italian railroads and Autrichiens.

Lastly, Paulin Talabot created celebrates it bank, " the Générale" Company;. The historian Bertrand Gille devoted a monograph to this large industrialist now ignored. Paulin Tabalot was elected several times appointed and General adviser of Gard.

External bonds

Note on Talabot and funeral orations marked with its death
Biography of Paulin Talabot, by the Baron Ernouf, 1886

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