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Victor (Vittorio) Croizat (1856–1915) was an engineer and industrial entrepreneur who figured prominently in the early development ofpublic lighting and theItalian automotive industry inTurin (Torino).
Croizat was born inChambéry, France, to Joeseph Croizat and Clémence Vautaret. In December 1889, he married Marie Chaley in Ceyzérieu, France. French engineerJoseph Chaley was a great uncle to both Marie and Victor. Soon after their marriage, Victor and Marie emigrated to Turin, where Victor was employed by the city to develop and implement a street/city lighting plan.[1][2]
Croizat worked as an engineer in Turin,[3] specializing in electric and gas lighting. He obtained multiple patents (in Germany and the United States, at a minimum) forgas lighting andheat exchange apparatuses.[4][5][6][7] He published articles regarding industrial uses ofacetylene,[8] Scattered evidence of his work in public lighting indicates that he worked inConstanta, Romania,[9] and on a design for a lighthouse oil lamp atCape Guardafui in Somalia.[10]
Croizat was a pioneer in the automobile industry of northern Italy; after licensing motor designs fromPeugeot, he founded Automobili Peugeot SA Brevetti to produce new automobiles under the brandPeugeot-Croizat. The company used modified versions of the Peugeot designs, and operated from 1905 to 1907. Croizat was also a dealer forRambler bicycles.[11]
Croizat also was an investor in early oil refining efforts in Italy, and owned the Piano d'Orta oil refinery.[12]
Victor and Marie had several children; one,Léon Croizat, became a pioneer in botany and evolutionary theory.