Ferdinand de Lesseps

Overview

Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps (1805–1894) was the French diplomat and entrepreneur chiefly responsible for the construction of the Suez Canal (opened 1869). In 1880 he was 74 years old and at the height of his celebrity as the hero of Suez; he had just launched the disastrous Panama Canal project (excavation began 1881). He married his second wife, Louise-Hélène Autard de Bragard (1848–1909), in November 1869. In the diary entry of 29 April 1880, "Monsieur et Madame de Lesseps" leave their calling card at Marie's apartment — presumably Ferdinand and Hélène, visiting as part of the fashionable Paris social circuit.

Historical Context

The Crémieux entry of 26 May 1880 places Marie at a soiree where she meets politicians and notable public figures. Ferdinand de Lesseps moved in the same upper-bourgeois and society circles. At this date the Panama project was in its early promotional phase; de Lesseps was actively courting public and financial support in Paris.

References in Diary

• 1880-04-29: "Monsieur et Madame de Lesseps ont laissé leur carte. Voilà qui est étonnant." (M. and Mme de Lesseps have left their calling card. How astonishing.)

Sources

Wikipedia: Ferdinand de Lesseps; Louise-Hélène Autard de Bragard