Jean-Luc Lagardère facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean-Luc Lagardère
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| Born | 10 February 1928 Aubiet, France
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| Died | 14 March 2003 (aged 75) Paris, France
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| Resting place | Pont-d'Ouilly, France |
| Education | Supélec |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) |
Corinne Levasseur
(m. 1958; div. 1978)Elisabeth Pimenta Lucas
(m. 1993) |
| Children | Arnaud Lagardère |
Jean-Luc Lagardère (born February 10, 1928 – died March 14, 2003) was a very important French businessman. He was the head of the Lagardère Group, which is one of France's biggest companies. A conglomerate is a large company made of many different smaller businesses.
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Jean-Luc Lagardère's Career
Jean-Luc Lagardère started his career as an engineer. He first worked at Dassault Aviation, a company that makes airplanes.
Leading Matra
In the 1960s, he became the CEO of a company called Matra. He became well-known because Matra had great success in car racing. They won races in Formula One and the famous Le Mans race.
Building a Big Company
After his time at Matra, Jean-Luc Lagardère built a huge company. This company worked in many areas, including media (like magazines) and defense (like making equipment for armies). This big company is now known as the Lagardère Group.
In 1981, he bought several magazines with his friend Daniel Filipacchi. These included the French TV Guide (Tele 7 Jours) and Elle magazine. Elle became very popular and was launched in the U.S. and many other countries. They also bought other magazines like Woman's Day and Car and Driver.
Creating Airbus
Jean-Luc Lagardère also played a big part in creating EADS. This company is now a major global aerospace company called Airbus. Airbus is famous for making large passenger planes.
In 2001, he passed control of his businesses to his son, Arnaud Lagardère. Jean-Luc Lagardère was praised by President Jacques Chirac for his smart ideas and for helping European countries work together.
Horse Racing Passion
Jean-Luc Lagardère loved horse racing and was a very important person in French horse racing.
Owning a Stud Farm
In 1981, he bought a famous stud farm called Haras d'Ouilly. This farm was known for its gray horses with pink caps. At one point, he owned as many as 220 horses!
He was the top horse owner in France in 1998. From 1995 to 2001, he was also the best horse breeder in France. His most important racing win was with a horse named Sagamix. Sagamix won the 1998 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which is a very famous race.
Leading France-Galop
When the organization France-Galop was created in 1995, Jean-Luc Lagardère was its first president. After he passed away in 2003, his son Arnaud took over the business. In 2005, Arnaud sold the Haras d'Ouilly farm and all its horses to the Aga Khan IV.
In 2002, a big horse race for two-year-olds was renamed in his honor. It is now called the Grand Critérium race.
Personal Life
Jean-Luc Lagardère was married to Betty Lagardère. Her birth name was Elisabeth Pimenta Lucas. She was a socialite and a former model from Brazil. They had one son together, named Arnaud.
Death
Jean-Luc Lagardère passed away on March 14, 2003. He died from a rare brain condition.
Legacy
To honor his important work with Airbus, the company named its Airbus A380 assembly plant after him. This plant is located in Toulouse, France. Even though the A380 planes are no longer made there, the plant is now used to build other Airbus planes, like the Airbus A320.
