Seguin, Marc

The following data is extracted from Centennial History of Missouri.

Marc Seguin, who is the French and Belgian consul at St. Louis, was born in Lyons, France, June 9, 1877, and is the son of Augustin and Marguerite de Montgolfier Seguin, both of Annonay, France. He is descended from a well known family of French inventors. His grandfather, Marc Seguin (1783-1875) for whom he was named, invented the suspended bridge in 1823, and the tubular boiler in 1825, and the latter applied to the locomotive made its high speed possible. The famous "Rocket" brought out by Stephenson in 1829 was equipped with a tubular boiler invented by Marc Seguin, who in 1830 built the first French railway, known as the Lyon-St. Etienne. He was a member of the French Institute and was regarded as one of the prominent scientific men and inventors of his native country. Marc Seguin is also a descendant in direct line of the brothers Joseph and Etienne de Montgolfier, inventors of the balloon, the first, ascension having taken place in 1783 at Annonay, their native city. The family was ennobled by King Louis XVI of France. The coat of arms of the Seguin family bears the motto "Plus d'honneur que de profit" (More honor than profit). Augustin Seguin, father of Marc Seguin, was a well known civil engineer and iron manufacturer of France, the important steel mills known as "Forges et Founderies de I'Horme" having been for many years under his active management. He was also a paper manufacturer, managing among other industries of that character the famous firm "Canson et Montgolfier" of Annonay, the oldest paper mills of France, having been founded in the sixteenth century and ever since owned by the de Montgolfier family. The death of Augustin Seguin occurred in 1904.

Marc Seguin was educated by the Jesuits, at Lyons, France, and in 1896 entered the University of Lyons, while in 1898 he became a student in the University of Paris. His liberal education well qualified him for consular and other important service. He came to the United States in 1900 and in 1905, associated with Messrs. H. Brussel and L. Viterbo, organized the Reinforced Concrete Company, of which he is still secretary and treasurer. In 1912 he was named consular agent of France at St. Louis and the following year, 1913, was made consul of Belgium with jurisdiction over the state of Missouri.

Mr. Seguin has been twice married. His first wife, who bore the maiden name of Virginia Michaels, died in 1907, and in 1908 he wedded Lucile Pullis, this marriage being celebrated in St. Louis. Mrs. Seguin is a daughter of Theodore and Kathelyn (Franklin) Pullis, both now deceased; and is a granddaughter of Thomas Pullis, a pioneer iron-maker of St. Louis and the founder of the Pullis Brothers Iron Works, now out of existence but at one time a most important industrial enterprise of St. Louis, where the Pullis family was established at an early period in the development of the city.

Source: Centennial History of Missouri

  Go Back