René Jacques Lévy

French chemist (1875–1912)

René Jacques Lévy

Born| 7 July, 1875

Nancy, France

Died| 15 April 1912 (aged 36)

Atlantic Ocean

Cause of death| drowning
Education| École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques
Occupation| Chemist,
Known for| being a victim of the Titanic

René Jacques Lévy (7 July 1875, in Nancy – 15 April 1912, in Atlantic Ocean) was a French chemist who died in the sinking of the Titanic.[1][2] He was the author of several patents[3][4][5][6] operated by the company Air Liquide.

In 1896, René Lévy graduated from École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques. In 1897, he moved to Manchester where he worked at the Clayton Aniline Company, of which his uncle Charles Dreyfus was director, and he invented, with André Helbronner in 1902, a process[7] making it possible to produce liquid air industrially. The license is acquired by Air Liquide and he then joins the company and works in the office of Boulogne-sur-Seine.

In 1903, he married Jeanne Royer with whom he had three daughters, Simone in 1904, Andrée in 1906, and Yvette in 1909.[8]

After having managed the British branch of Air Liquide in London,[9] he was sent in 1910, to Canada by the president of the company Paul Delorme, to create and manage a subsidiary in the suburbs of Montréal.

In March 1912, he went to Paris to attend a funeral, planning to return to Canada on the France on 20 April, but he exchanged his ticket to go back ten days earlier on the Titanic.[10][11][12]

The Royal Society of Chemistry honored him in 2012[13][14][15] on the occasion of the commemoration of the hundred years of the sinking of the Titanic.

## References

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1. ^ Freemantle, Michael (2011-11-30). Gas! Gas! Quick, Boys: How Chemistry Changed the First World War. History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-7903-3.
2. ^ Bottomore, Stephen (2000). The Titanic and Silent Cinema. The Projection Box. p. 21\. ISBN 978-1-903000-00-7.
3. ^ US 959563A, "Method for the separation of gases", issued 1903-02-16
4. ^ FR 350205A, "Methods of making and maintaining the vacuum", issued 1904-10-04
5. ^ GB 190216615A, "Improvements in the Separation of Gases from their Mixtures, especially Oxygen and Nitrogen from Atmospheric Air and Apparatus therefor.", issued 1902-07-26
6. ^ US 967105A, "Process for the separation of gaseous mixtures into their elements.", issued 1904-06-03
7. ^ GB 190216615A, "Improvements in the Separation of Gases from their Mixtures, especially Oxygen and Nitrogen from Atmospheric Air and Apparatus therefor"
8. ^ Hélène-Andrée, Bizier (2013). "Tant d'énigmes sur une simple photo. Les orphelines d'Outremont" (PDF). Société d'histoire d'Outremont - Mémoire Vivante: 3.
9. ^ "Bulletin de l'Association des anciens élèves de l'Institut chimique de Nancy et de l'École nationale supérieure des industries chimiques, No. 15" (PDF). clio.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr (in French). 1912. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
10. ^ "René Jacques Lévy : Titanic Victim". Encyclopedia Titanica. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
11. ^ "Le héros nancéien du Titanic". estrepublicain.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-12-06.
12. ^ "Chevaleresque chimiste lorrain". estrepublicain.fr (in French). Retrieved 2020-12-06.
13. ^ "RSC honours Titanic chemist who gave up his life for female passenger". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
14. ^ "société. Un Nancéien mis à l'honneur pour son sacrifice sur le Titanic". republicain-lorrain.fr. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
15. ^ "Titanic : 100 ans après, un Français récompensé pour son courage". leparisien.fr (in French). 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2020-12-06.