Pierre Jacques Dormoy (November 25, 1825, in Couthenans, Haute-Saône, France – July 30, 1892, in Bordeaux, Gironde) was a French engineer, inventor, industry captain, the creator of the Dormoy foundries as well as a political and economic personality in Bordeaux. His political activities in Bordeaux were instrumental in arousing the political vocation of his son, Albert Dormoy, an MP for the Gironde département.[1]
Jacques Pierre Dormoy was born in Couthenans on November 25, 1825, into a Protestant family. He was one of the twelve children of Pierre Dormoy Louis (1787-1860) and Suzanne Marguerite Dormoy (1794-1870). He married Jeanne Elisabeth Geraud (1835-1892), who gave him a son, Albert Dormoy.[2] [3]
Jacques Pierre Dormoy obtained an engineering degree from the Chalon-sur-Saône School of Arts and Crafts at the age of 20 after three years of study (1842-1845).[1] [4]
After several years as a “skilful engineer and designer” in some of the major construction firms in Paris (he was a foreman first at Gouin, where his skills made quite an impression, then at the Tronchon metalworking firm), he became in 1856 a foreman of cars and wagons ("chef de la carrosserie”) to the newly established Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (Midi Railway Company) in Bordeaux.[1] [4]
A few years later, in 1862, he founded the Dormoy foundry, a bronze foundry specializing in both industrial products and works of art[5] [6] which was flourishing after some initial difficulties.[4]
Jacques Pierre Dormoy was the inventor in 1853 of a "glazing system",[7] the co-inventor in 1854, with Antoine Abraham Champeaux, of a "circular rolling mill" for producing tires for rail vehicles.,[8] [9] in 1857, with Guillaume de Saint-Christophe, a lubrication mode called "hydrostatic lubrication" ("boîte Dormoy").[10] [11] and, in 1859, with Théophile Dubois, a car cover system called "mixed covering."[12]
A member of the Republican Party in Bordeaux,[1] he was described as "a sincere Republican and as firm as moderate."[4]
He was councillor and deputy mayor of Bordeaux for 20 years, from 1871 to 1892, mainly for publics works [13] (under Mayor Albert Brandenburg – 1878-1884 –, he was deputy in charge of military affairs and fires).[14]
He also chaired the Bordeaux Voltaire Circle and founded in 1867 the Friends of Basic Education Society.[1] [4]
He was also one of the first members of the Society of Arts et Métiers Alumni.[4]
Suffering from a serious disease for two years, he died on July 30, 1892, at Bordeaux[4]
He was buried in the Protestant cemetery of Bordeaux.[4]
The management of the foundry was taken over by his son, Albert Dormoy, in 1894.[1] [4]
He was a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms.
The municipality of Bordeaux honoured him by giving his name to a square of the town: "place Pierre Jacques Dormoy".