Jacques Corrèze | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1912-02-11)11 February 1912 Auxerre, France |
| Died | 28 June 1991(1991-06-28) (aged 79) Paris, France |
| Employer | L'Oréal |
| Organization(s) | La Cagoule,LVF |
Jacques Corrèze (11 February 1912 – 28 June 1991) was a French businessman and politician. He was thechief executive officer of theUnited States-based operation ofL'Oréal for the Americas (Cosmair), the world's leading company incosmetics and beauty products. He was the secretary ofEugène Deloncle.
Corrèze was a member ofLa Cagoule, a violentfascist-leaning andanti-communist group. During its early period,Eugène Schueller, founder of L'Oréal, provided financial support and held meetings for La Cagoule at L'Oréal headquarters.
During the Second World War both Corrèze and Eugene Schueller, as well as many other L'Oréal executives, were very active supporters of theVichy regime. When theGestapo raided Deloncle's home, killed him and injured gravely his son Louis Deloncle, Corrèze was present but escaped. He later married Deloncle's widow, Mercedes Deloncle.[1]
After the war Corrèze was convicted of a number of crimes, and sentenced to ten years in prison in France. He was released after serving five years and shortly thereafter became a senior executive at L'Oréal and Chairman of Cosmair, a private U.S. company and the sole licensee of L'Oreal in the United States.[1]
Corrèze was in charge of negotiations with Arab governments to comply with theArab League Bureau of Economic Boycott requests, after the Arab League began aboycott of L'Oréal when it was revealed that the group had acquiredHelena Rubinstein Incorporated, a company with a manufacturing plant in Israel.
Corrèze was also under investigation by theOffice of Special Investigations (United States Department of Justice) in 1991 for his active participation inantisemitic acts and for his membership of the anti-communistLégion des volontaires français.[2] Correze resigned from L 'Oreal in 1991 as well, claiming that it was not due to his health.[3] However, he was forced to leave theUnited States and died ofpancreatic cancer a week later in Paris, aged 79.[3] His wife died three years earlier.[1]
