Claude-Nicolas Perier (28 May 1742 – 6 February 1801) was assured an important place in French history when he opened his Château de Vizille near Grenoble to the famous meeting of the estates of the province of Dauphiné (21 July 1788) heralding the coming of the French Revolution. He is notable also as the founder of the remarkable Perier family "bourgeois dynasty" that rose to economic and political influence and prominence in France during the 19th century. Claude's descendants became leading Paris bankers, regents of the Bank of France and owner-directors of Anzin, the major coal mining company of France in the Department of Nord. They were mayors of towns, prefects of departments and members of municipal tribunals and chambers of commerce. Many were elected representatives of departments to the Chamber of Deputies in Paris and appointed to France's Chamber of Peers. Most notably, Casimir Pierre Perier (1777–1832), the fourth of Claude's eight sons, became Prime Minister of France in 1831–32 during the Orleanist monarchy of Louis-Philippe I. Casimir's grandson, Jean Casimir-Perier (1847–1907), was elected president of the Third Republic in 1894. Claude Perier was sufficiently wealthy before 1789 to be known as "Perier-Milord" in Grenoble and surroundings, but it was mainly during the decade of revolution 1789–99 that he created the financial underpinning of the Perier dynasty. His eight sons and two daughters would share his legacy of around 5,800,000 francs.There is no biography in English. Two important early studies are: François Vermale, Le père de Casimir Perier (Grenoble, 1935) and Eugène Choulet, La famille Casimir-Perier: Étude généalogique, biographique et historique, d'après des documents des archives de Grenoble, de Vizille et de l'Isère (Grenoble, 1894). More recent accounts are: Robert Chagny, Une dynastie bourgeoise dans la Révolution: Les Perier (Grenoble, Conseil Général de L'Isère, 1984) and Madeleine Bourset Casimir Perier: un prince financier au temps du romantisme (Paris, 1994).
Children of Claude Perier
Jacques-Prosper (1768) Died at birth
Elisabeth-Josephine (1770–1850) m. Jacques-Fortunat Savoye de Rollin; Member of the Tribunat; Deputy (Isère); Prefect (Eure, Seine-Maritime, Deux-Nèthes, Côte-d'Or); Legion of Honor
Euphrosine-Marie (1771–1779) Died young
Augustin-Charles (1773–1833) m. Henriette de Berkheim. École Polytechnique; Banker, Manufacturer (Grenoble/Vizille); Deputy (Isère); Peer of France; Legion of Honor
Alexander-Jacques (1774–1846) Manufacturer and mayor, Montargis; Deputy (Loiret); Legion of Honor
Antoine-Scipion (1776–1821) m. Louise de Dietrich. Perier Bank (Paris); Regent Bank of France; Anzin owner-director; Chaillot machine shops, Paris Chamber of Commerce
Casimir-Pierre (1777–1832) m. Pauline Loyer. Perier Bank (Paris); Regent Bank of France; Anzin owner-director; Chaillot machine shops; Paris Chamber of Commerce; Deputy (Seine, Aube); Prime Minister; Legion of Honor
Adelaide-Hélène (Marine) 1779–1851) m. Camille Teisseire (Sub-Prefect, Ardèche; Deputy, Isère; Legion of Honor)
Camille-Joseph (1781–1844) m. Pelagie Lecouteulx de Canteleu. École Polytechnique; Auditor Conseil d'État; Mayor (Chatou); Prefect (Corrèze, Meuse); Deputy (Corrèze, Sarthe); Peer of France; Legion of Honor
Alphonse (1782–1866) m. Antoinette-Bonne de Tournadre. École Polytechnique; Manufacturer, Banker, Tribunal of Commerce (Grenoble/Vizille); Mayor (Eybens); Deputy (Isère); Auditor Conseil d'État, Legion of Honor
Amédée-Auguste (1785–1851) Auditor Conseil d'État
André-Jean-Joseph (1786–1868) m. Marie-Aglae Clavel de Kergonan. Perier Bank (Paris); regent Bank of France; Anzin owner-director; Deputy (Marne); Legion of Honor
Claude Perier at Grenoble and Vizille before 1789
Early life Grenoble, the capital city of the Province of Dauphiny in southeastern France, was where the Periers began their rise to prominence. Claude's father, Jacques Perier (1702–1782), moved there about 1720 from the hamlet of Perier, located near the small town of Mens some 50 kilometers south of Grenoble.Jacques Perier was one of 13 children of Claude's great-grandfather, who was also named Jacques Perier (1669-1758). Earlier ancestors in this family line were Pierre Perier (1596-1654) and Claude Perier (1638-1674). See the chart, "The Ancestors of Casimir Perier," in Bourset's biography of Casimir Perier, p.22, cited above. He was an aspiring merchant of linen and canvas cloth, and Grenoble at the time was becoming a main commercial center with links to important markets at Arles, Avignon, Lyons, Marseilles and the great annual fair at Beaucaire. He prospered at Grenoble and in 1741 married Marie Dupuy, the daughter of a merchant and one-time municipal consul. Claude Perier, born in 1742, was the first of their seven children. In 1749, Jacques purchased an imposing, multi-story home for the family on the Grande Rue.
Business career Jacques' business developed as a family affair over the years. His daughter Elisabeth, for example, married Pierre Jordan, a wealthy merchant in Lyon. Commerce with Voiron near Grenoble was added by François Perier-Lagrange, who was a nephew. In 1764, Madeleine Perier, a niece, married a leading merchant in Voiron, François Tivolier.Perier-Lagrange and Madeleine Perier belonged to a second branch of the Perier family in Dauphiny headed by Jean Perier (1699-1759). See also Google online for "Les négociants voironnais et le réseau Perier" (University of Lyon thesis, 2007). Claude Perier cemented these connections when he came of age by marrying Marie-Charlotte Pascal (1749–1821), the daughter of a leading Voiron merchant. Her dowry in 1767 amounted to 60,000 livres. By that date Claude was already an active member of the family enterprise. In 1764 the business was named "Jacques Perier, Father, Son, Nephew & Company." Claude Perier and Perier-Lagrange were the minor partners. When this association was renewed in 1773, the shares of Jacques and his son, Claude, were 344,266 livres and 72,493 livres, respectively.See Bibliothèque de Grenoble, R 90564, "Liquidation de la succession de M. Claude Perier."
The trade in linens was a mainstay, but the Periers also acted as credit bankers for area businesses, made land investments, and ventured into manufacturing at Grenoble on their own account (muslins, 1777; hardware, 1779).Pierre Léon, La naissance de la grande industrie en Dauphiné, fin du XVIIIe siècle - 1869 (Paris, 2 vols, 1954), I, pp. 274-80, 305. Most importantly, Claude and his father responded to the increasing demand in France for printed cotton cloths (toiles peints) and wallpapers (papiers peints). Printed cottons were mainly imported from India and were known as indiennes,In 1773, Claude Perier's younger brother, Jacques-Augustin Perier (d.1794), established himself at Lorient, the main port in northwestern France for the trade in cotton goods from India. He became an administrator at Lorient for the new French East India Company organized in 1785. See N.J.Conan, La dernière compagnie française des Indes, 1785-1875 (Paris, 1939). but they began to be fabricated in France in 1760 by the famous industrialist Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf (1738–1815). His factory for cotton prints at Jouy near Paris, which employed 900 workers by 1774, was named a "royal manufacturer" in 1783 by Louis XVI. Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper in 1785.H. Clouzot, Histoire de la manufacture de Jouy et de la toile imprimée en France (Paris, 2 vols, 1928). Jacques and Claude Perier began the production of these printed stuffs in 1775–1777 at Vizille, a small village just south of Grenoble.See Françoise Ours, "Aux origines de l'industrie manufacturiere vizilloise: la manufacture des Perier de 1772-1825," in Bourgeoisie de province et révolution (Actes du Colloque de Vizille) (Grenoble, 1984).
Purchase of the Château de Vizille Famously, Claude purchased the historic 17th century Château de Vizille with its large rooms and spacious main hall, extensive grounds, numerous out-buildings, streams and water park, as well as nearby lands in Oisans and La Mure. All told, here were ideal conditions for the manufacture of indiennes. Claude paid Gabriel Louis de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, approximately 1,254,000 livres for the buildings and properties. By 1785, about 100 workers (400 by 1789) were employed at the château producing printed cottons.Vermale, Le père de Casimir Perier, pp.8-9; Clouzot, Histoire de la manufacture de Jouy, vol I, pp.124-25; Charles Ballot, L'introduction du machinisme dans l'industrie française (Paris, 1923), pp.281-82.
As became typical of his business style, Claude Perier was involved in other money-making projects even as production of printed cottons at the Vizille factory began to get underway. In fact, the factory was rented out to Swiss experts from Geneva, Jean-Louis Fazy and his son, who ran the operation until January, 1794, at which time other specialists from Geneva and Mulhouse were brought in. Only beginning in 1798 would Claude's eldest son, Augustin-Charles, assume direction of the family enterprise.Vermale, Le pére de Casimir Perier, pp.9. 49. See also his "Augustin Perier sous la Révolution et sous l'Empire," Le Dauphiné (February 22 and March 15, 1947) and Philippe Mieg, "Les relations de la famille Perier avec Mulhouse et l'Alsace," Bulletin de la société industrielle de Mulhouse, No.III (1953).
Cane sugar investments Meantime, in 1782, Jacques Perier died leaving a fortune of 600,000 livres to be divided among his three sons, Claude, Jacques-Augustin and Antoine. As the eldest son, Claude's share of the estate was 400,000 livres.Choulet, La famille Casimir-Perier, p.54. These were funds that helped Claude establish a new commercial house at Voiron in 1783. The purpose was to make money importing cane sugar from the Caribbean. The business was called "Perier, Father and Son, Berlioz, Rey & Company." Berlioz and Joseph Rey, who were business associates at Grenoble, each invested 48,000 livres (4 shares) in the company; Claude also invested 48,000 livres, plus 240,000 as working capital; and one share (12,000 livres) was listed in the name of Augustin Perier, Claude's then 10-year-old son. In 1784 Claude took a half-interest in another sugar import company at Marseilles, "Pierre Chazel & Company." These companies were very profitable until 1793.See Vermale, Le père de Casimir Perier, pp. 9-10; Mounier, Casimir Perier, p. 25; Léon, La naissance de la grande industrie en Dauphiné, vol 1, p.274.
Involvement in Hospital General In the 1770s the directors in charge of the Hospital General of Grenoble (a facility meant to incarcerate paupers and beggars) abandoned the hospital. A group of new men became the directors and among them was Claude. In fact, out of all the directors, Claude Perier was the wealthiest. Claude was wealthy and powerful enough to bring along his business associates onto the board of directors for the Hospital as well: Monsieur Dupy, Monsieur Pascal, and his cousin Périer-Lagrange.
Claude Perier from Grenoble/Vizille to Paris, 1789–1801
Involvement in the French Revolution