Alexandre Turpault — Wikipedia

Alexandre Turpault , born Marie-Alexandre Turpault on 14 mars 1819 in Cerizay (Deux-Sèvres) and died the February 12, 1899 In Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), is a manufacturer of canvases in Cholet, who founded his house, specialist in luxury household linen.

Alexandre Turpault was born 14 mars 1819 at CERIZAY ^{[ first ]} , a commune whose activity depends on Choletais. He is the last son of Pierre Turpault, horse merchant, and Marie-Anne Brémaud who already have three sons: Philippe-Alexis (1812), Henri (1815) and Benjamin (1814) ^{[ 2 ]} .
In 1825, Pierre Turpault died in Châtillon-sur-Sèvre. His widow, Marie-Anne, subsequently remarried with Joseph-Louis Thuyau, merchant.

The September 4, 1854 , Alexandre Turpault marries Léontine Menière ^{[ AMC 1 ]} , daughter of Joseph Louis Menière and Marie-Aimée Delhumeau. She gives him three children, born in Cholet: Alexandre Marie Joseph the September 22, 1855 ^{[ AMC 2 ]} , Alexis (said Georges) the November 30, 1858 ^{[ AMC 3 ]} and Marie the February 5, 1861 ^{[ AMC 4 ]} .

Alexandre Turpault dies the February 12, 1899 , at the age of 79 ^{[ AMC 5 ]} , leaving the memory of a philanthropic and generous man ^{[ 3 ]} , engaged in public and social life. Alexandre Turpault has appeared a right man, close to his employees and whose popularity means that he has been elected repeatedly by the Choletais but he has always preferred to focus on the development of his business and his family. In 1926, he was reinhamn, with his wife, in the chapel of the Forest family in the Malansac cemetery.

Turpault genealogy

Alexandre Turpault and brothers associations with Joseph-Louis Thuyau [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In 1838, at the age of 19, Alexandre Turpault founded his wool spinning house in the Pont-Vieux, in Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, by associating with his three brothers and his stepfather, Joseph-Louis Thuyau ^{[ 2 ]} . They also operate the tincture from Belébat to Cholet. They developed quickly and employed twenty-seven people in 1846.

The partners then separate, which allows Alexandre Turpault to specialize in the cold cotton dye, in indigo color. To their separation, it seems that the tincture from Belébat to Cholet returned to the elder, Philippe-Alexis, and the wool spinning in Mortagne-sur-Sèvre to the youngest, Henri Turpault.

Alexandre Turpault-Charles Libaud association years [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

An emerging association [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In 1849, Alexandre Turpault joined forces with Charles Libaud ^{[ 4 ]} , owner of a cold dyeing that provides workers to weaves the raw material shade, that is to say cotton thread for the frame as well as hatching chains (that is to say an association of parallel threads which will be associated with the frame perpendicular to obtain the woven canvas). Their specialty is cotton dyeing in indigo color ^{[ 5 ]} , by cold processes passing through ten to twelve tanks.

Success and expansion [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In 1851, Alexandre Turpault and his partner praised a house which serves as a store, 35 rue du Sentier in Paris, managed by Charles Libaud who spent most of his time.

Progressing business, Alexandre Turpault and Charles Libaud rent the laundry of the Godinière. This area of 7 ha Northwest of Cholet is provided with a pond and several buildings that allow you to install a laundry room, lingerie, chemistry and a high dryer.

Alexandre Turpault finds in Aristide Boucicaut, founder of Cheap In 1852, an ideal partner for the promotion and flow of productions of its Choletaise factories. They create the White month , a promotional operation still relevant in 2017.

Start of mechanization [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In 1853, Alexandre Turpault introduced mechanical whitening for canvases and linen tissues ^{[ 2 ]} . Indeed, in 1856 he received the authorization to install a steam boiler on the La Godinière website ^{[ 6 ]} . It is thus detached from the constraint of the hydraulic force: it is no longer necessary to settle on the edges of a watercourse to provide energy. This is the beginning of the mechanization and the use of steam machines, for which the Turpault house uses water from the Godinière pond.

Cholet patent notebooks ^{[ 7 ]} report in 1856 a laundry “Newly built and important, very advantageously located on the edge of a beautiful pond called the Godinière” whose water quality is qualified as excellent. The company employs an average of twenty-five workers (against eighteen, two years earlier), which makes it one of the most important laundries in the city.

New laundering process [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Around 1855, a new money laundering technique was implemented by M. Bouchet which files the invention patent on September 8, 1856 ^{[ 8 ]} Now combining the riding technique (use of soda laundry) the use of chlorine as a bleaching product. Alexandre Turpault bought in 1857 for the Choletais territory the exclusivity of this invention certificate, with the title: Bleaching process applicable to fabrics, canvases and cottons, pasta from rags and filaments of all textile plants . The challenge is to obtain a faster and equivalent quality whitening fabric.

The end of the Libaud – Turpault association [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

While the capital of the company has almost tripled ^{[ 4 ]} , the two partners decided to separate at the end of 1858. Alexandre Turpault then retained the activity on the site of the Godinière and the Maison du Sentier, in Paris.

Growth in weaving activities [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

The August 10, 1863 , Alexandre Turpault buys an old spinning ^{[ 9 ]} , then in bankruptcy: the Fleuriis factory. He decides to install a mechanical weaving for linen, for which he used hydraulic energy and then made the authorization request in 1865 to acquire a steam engine of 50 CV , built by Messrs Allard and Pommeraye, in Nantes ^{[ ten ]} .

In 1867, Alexandre Turpault and his wife were acquired from the site of the Godinière, that is to say the pond and the buildings ^{[ 11 ]} , which was previously rented. Alexandre Turpault aged three years later agreed to sell the pond in the municipality of Cholet ^{[ twelfth ]} , for the food of three public laundries, but Turpault reserves the right to build a tank in the laundry courtyard, to supply the machines.

In 1871, the Fleurian factory employed seventy-six people and worked in collaboration with the lady’s laundry. Alexandre Turpault has an efficient production tool, able to supply the national market.

Social policy [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Technical progress made on the various production sites are accompanied by social progress via the improvement of living and working conditions. Precursor of this social philosophy, Alexandre Turpault imposed, in 1876, a drop in working time in the laundry workshops. In 1881, the lady’s laundry was the only company in Cholet where working hours were reduced by 12 h at 11 h For five years.

Company recognition [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Since the XVIII ^{It is} century existed in Cholet another line of Turpault, which had before the Revolution, in addition to that of Tessoualle, a flourishing factory of canvases and handkerchiefs in Cholet, including the son of René Turpault and Perrine Potier: François Turpault (1778- 1833) takes over. After being four years mayor of Tessoualle, he became mayor of Cholet from 1815 to 1821 ^{[ CO 1 ]} .

In the decades that will follow, several companies will find themselves in several periods in financial difficulties ^{[ 13 ]} . This is how the August 31, 1862 , the Fleurian factory in Mortagne on the initiative of the twins, Victor and Auguste Matignon, is acquired by auction by a bank in La Rochelle, which gets rid of it a year later at a good price at the profile of Alexandre Turpault, Choletais manufacturer.
It is by buying the Mortagne factory of the Société Caternault-Matignon-et-Cie In 1863, that the lineage of Alexandre Turpault gradually took on the older factory to the same surname.

In 1878, in Paris, for his first participation in the Universal Exhibition, Alexandre Turpault received the silver medal for his linen tissues ^{[ 14 ]} .

The 1889 Universal Exhibition also takes place in Paris. It is triumphant by the importance of progress in eleven years, including the construction of the Eiffel Tower. It is also very important for the Cholet region, because there are difficulties in the linen industry, faced with the competition made by cotton (the latter which can be woven in the machine while the flax must be woven on hand professions). In effect, M. Simonnot-Godart, manufacturer member of the Customs Values ​​Commission written in his report: “Linen weaving considerably suffers from cotton competition” .

The international jury delivered in 1889 the gold medal to Alexandre Turpault, for its production of handkerchiefs and canvases of great regularity and at very small prices, “In order to recognize the progress made” . It is also on this occasion that Alexandre Turpault is made knight of the Legion of Honor ^{[ 15 ]} .

A new generation at the head of the company [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

In 1890, Alexandre Turpault, then aged 71, left the management of the company to his two sons, Alexandre Marie Joseph and Alexis (dit Georges) ^{[ 16 ]} . However, he remains the owner of buildings and machines.

Georges Turpault, the rich Choleti fertile ^{[ 17 ]} , having met Georges Clemenceau in Montaigu – and judged by him “A suitable man who was the first to subscribe for the monument (in Clemenceau, by Sicard) of Sainte-Hermine” – Then invites himself to replace Nicolas Pietri, prevented – who ultimately was on the trip – to accompany “the tiger” in India, where the two men contract a very serious illness whose industrialist dies it December 20, 1922 , in Cholet. His death inspires this word to Clemenceau: “God found the use of Turpault in another planet; It should not be convenient ” ^{[ 18 ] , [ 19 ]} . He leaves the memory of a man engaged in public and social life ^{[ 3 ]} .

Since then, the Alexandre Turpault brand has been specialized in the luxury market: it has always manufactured and sells luxury household linen; It is always marketed at Cheap and extended its sales to other department stores, such as Lafayette or spring galleries ^{[ 20 ]} .

The April 13, 1848 , at 29, Alexandre Turpault was appointed municipal councilor by decree of the government commissioner. He resigns the May 18 , preferring to focus their efforts on the development of the Alexandre Turpault house.

In 1862, Alexandre Turpault became a member of the Consultative Chamber of Arts and Manufactures , an assembly of the main manufacturers, responsible for enlightening the government on the needs of the industry.

Between 1870 and 1874, he was elected on a municipal councilor several times but assumed this function only eight months, preferring to devote himself to the growth of his business. He is again elected municipal councilor on January 6, 1878 and then became the first deputy mayor of Cholet from the 4 mars 1878 .

The city of Cholet gave the name of Alexandre Turpault to one of its streets ^{[ CO 2 ] , [ N 1 ]} , in the neighborhood where its weaving plant was ^{[ 21 ] , [ CO 3 ]} as well as a school and a gym ^{[ CO 4 ]} .

The October 29, 1889 Alexandre Turpault is made a knight of the Legion of Honor whose medal is given to him during his participation in the Universal Exhibition of 1889 in Paris ^{[ 15 ]} .

Notes [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

References [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

• Cholet Municipal Archives:

• Daily Western mail

: document used as a source for writing this article.

• Francis J.-G. Beltzer, La Grande Industrie tinctoriale , Paris, Dunod, 1906 , 1 050 p. .
• Serge Chassagne, Cotton and its bosses , Paris, the school of high studies in social sciences, 1991 .
• Jean-Joseph Chevalier, ” The Company of Western Lins and Canvases and its promoters (1839-1862): the failure of a Choletist Capitalist enterprise », Annals of Normandy, 38 ^{It is} year , 1988 , p. 105-123 .
• Augustin Jeanneau and Adolphe Durand , Cholet through the streets , Cholet, Pierre Rabjeau, October 20, 1988 , 192 p. .
• Jean Martet, M. Clemenceau painted by itself , Paris, Albin Michel, 1929 , 316 p. (Salt B0000DRAML ) .
• Célestin Port ( ill.  P.Vidal), Historical, geographic and biographical dictionary of Maine-et-Loire , Angers, H. Sireaudeau and C ^ie , 1974 (BNF  41674814 ) .