On the occasion of its 150th anniversary, Solvay invites you to discover its history through twelve thematic pieces.
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
This month, discover how 5 remarkable personalities were part of Solvay before
making it to the world stage.
Chronicle # 7 - Solvay "people"
Since 1863, hundreds of thousands of men and women have worked to build the
Solvay group. Some of them knowingly or unknowingly crossed paths with prominent
personalities of their age. Here are some portraits of exceptional characters
whose careers brought them into the Solvay galaxy before moving on to higher
things.
Raymond Poincaré (1860-1934), President of the French Republic
In the first decade of the 1900s, Solvay, already well-established in eastern
France, was having a hard time asserting its rights. Faced with tough and
unbridled competition from local soda and salt producers, it brought in a young
business lawyer, Raymond Poincaré, to defend its interests. The ideological
outlook of this free-thinking and progressive lawyer were very much in tune with
those of his Belgian client. Before reaching the highest office of state in
1913, Poincaré defended Solvay in several court cases involving non-compliance
with commercial and industrial agreements, in particular in 1905 and 1910, when
he had already held several ministerial posts. With his help, the Group was able
to establish itself as the undisputed leader of soda production in France.
Henri Poincaré (1854-1912), mathematician
A physicist, philosopher and engineer, this cousin of the French President was
among the scientific élite gathered at the first Solvay Physics Council. A
famous photograph from 1911 shows him in discussion with Marie Curie, to the
right.
John Foster Dulles (1888-1959), U.S. Secretary of State
As far back as 1881, Solvay opened a subsidiary in the United States in order to
conquer the North American market. In 1920, the entity became part of the Allied
Chemical & Dye Corp., the largest chemical conglomerate on the continent. Solvay
was the main foreign shareholder with a 21% stake. But for Allied's CEO Orlando
Weber, it was unthinkable that a non-U.S. company could influence the
conglomerate's strategy, and gradually the Group lost all say in the business.
John Foster Dulles, then a corporate lawyer, took over the defense of Solvay's
interests. Working closely with René Boël, he undertook a delicate mission of
industrial diplomacy, gathering a broad group of U.S. shareholders, which put
Weber into a minority and forced him to accept the appointment of a Solvay
representative to the Board in the person of George Murnane, the associate of a
certain Jean Monnet. A few years later, Dulles was appointed Secretary of State
(Foreign Minister) during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower.
Jean Monnet (1888-1979), "Father of a United Europe"
Widely recognized as a top flight diplomat and politician and as a founding
member of the European Union, Jean Monnet was nearly sixty before devoting all
his energies to public life. The first part of his professional life was
devoted mostly to business. From the 1920s, he pursued a career as an
international financial consultant. In 1936, he teamed with George Murnane and
founded with him two companies, one in New York, one in Hong Kong. Between 1935
and 1945, the two men helped untangle thorny issues for the Solvay group. These
included the release of funds sequestered in Italy by the Fascist government,
and in particular the 'Allied Chemical' situation, with the aid of John Foster
Dulles. Jean Monnet's privileged interlocutor at Solvay was René Boël. As the
future President of the European League for Economic Cooperation from 1951 to
1981, the latter played an important role in the harmonization of Western
European markets and legal systems.
Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005), Supreme Pontiff
What a surprise for Jacques Solvay and his wife Marie-Claude when in 1981 they
received a letter from the Pope John Paul II thanking Solvay for saving his
life!
In the late '30s, Karol Wojtyla was a student at the Jagiellonian University in
Krakow and pursuing his passion for theater. With the Polish defeat of 1939 and
the country's dismemberment by Nazi Germany and the USSR, the university was
closed by the occupant. To avoid deportation and forced labor in Germany, the
young Wojtyla got himself hired at the Zakrzówek quarry and later at the Solvay
plant at Podgórze. There he worked as a laborer from October 1941 to the summer
of 1944. According to his biographers, he chose the night shift to have free
time during the day to study at the clandestine seminary of Krakow, pray and
continue his theatrical activities. This highly dramatic period strongly marked
the future pope. He later expressed his gratitude to the heads of Solvay's
Polish subsidiary and to the Solvay family.
In 1982, John Paul II honored the Italian plant at Rosignano with a visit,
during which he took great pleasure in lunching with Solvay workers at the
company cafeteria.
Next story: In the ebb and flow of History
Curious about our 150th anniversary?
Have a look at www.solvay150.com
Chronicle in PDF:
http://hugin.info/133981/R/1715860/570258.pdf
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Source: Solvay S.A. via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1715860]
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Datum: 11.07.2013 - 16:09 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 277702
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