Jacques Lemaigre-Dubreuil

Who was Jacques Lemaigre-Dubreuil?

Jacques Lemaigre Dubreuil was a businessman and activist, born in Solignac on October 30, 1894 and murdered in Casablanca on June 11, 1955.

He married Simone Lesieur, daughter of Georges Lesieur - founder of the brand of edible oils of the same name. Having joined its Board of Directors in 1926, he directed and developed the company until his death. He owned the Maroc-Presse newspaper and had interests in the Printemps department store chain.

A militant of the extreme right, he was one of the funders of La Cagoule in the late 1930s.

During the Second World War, he was very active in the underground. He was one of those who favoured the Allied landings in North Africa, on 8 November 1942, Operation Torch. He was a link between Robert Murphy and Henri Giraud; when the latter arrived in Algeria, he was accommodated in Lemaigre-Dubreuil's house

Later, Lemaigre Dubreuil was very active in supporting Moroccan claims for autonomy, for which he drew fierce hatred from movements supporting the retention of Morocco as a French protectorate. These movements, described at the time as terrorist-cons had many accomplices in European circles, including the French administration.