Henri Germain

Henri Germain (1824–1905) was a French banker and politician.

Henri Germain
Born19 February 1824
Lyon, France
Died2 February 1905 (1905-02-03) (aged 80)
OccupationBanker
Spouse(s)Blanche Germain
ChildrenAndré Germain
Parent(s)Henri Germain
Claudine Lupin

Early life

Henri Germain was born on 19 February 1824 in Lyon.[1] His father, Henri Germain, was a silk businessman, and his mother was Claudine Lupin.[1] He received a law degree.[1] He was a follower of Saint-Simonianism, and François Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour (1797-1872) became his mentor.[1]

Career

Germain founded Crédit Lyonnais on 6 July 1863.[1][2] It became the first bank in France to offer savings accounts with interest.[1] The first shareholders were Saint-Simon followers like Paulin Talabot (1799–1885), Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin (1796–1864), Arlès-Dufour and Michel Chevalier (1806-1879).[1] Two years later, in 1865, he founded the Société Foncière Lyonnaise, a real estate company. In 1892, he spearheaded the construction of the Boulevard Carnot, then known as the Boulevard de la Foncière-Lyonnaise.

Germain was a member of the General Council of Ain from 1871 to 1883. He then served as a member of the National Assembly from 1868 to 1893.

Personal life and death

Germain was married to Blanche Germain. They resided at Villa Orangini in Cimiez, Nice.[3] Their son, André Germain (1881-1971), was a writer.

Germain died on 2 February 1905.[1]

Bibliography
  • La Situation financière de la France en 1886
  • L’État politique de la France en 1886

References
  1. Jacques-Marie Vaslin, Henri Germain, prudent banquier du Crédit lyonnais, Le Monde, August 15, 2013
  2. "Crédit Lyonnais".
  3. Christian Byk, 'Regard sur les villas niçoises', p. 91-101, Nice-Historique, année 1989, no 40
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