Armand Peugeot

Armand Peugeot (26 March 1849 – 2 January 1915) was a French industrialist, automotive pioneer and founder of Peugeot.

Born in Hérimoncourt, eastern France, on 26 March 1849, he was the son of Émile Peugeot and Jean Pierre. The family’s metalworking business made springs, saws, spectacle frames and coffee grinders. In 1827, Armand married Sophie Léonie Fallot (1852–1930). They had five children; their only son died in 1896.

In 1881, he trained at a company in Leeds, becoming convinced that mechanical transport was the future and considering expansion into that business. In 1895, he graduated from Paris’s prestigious École Centrale engineering school.

From 1865, Armand and his cousin Eugène actively managed Peugeot Frères Aînés. In 1889, they presented a steam tricycle at the Paris World’s Fair. They built their first car in their eastern French workshop.

By 1892, the business was called Les Fils de Peugeot Frères and produced cars with Daimler engines. Armand wanted to expand, but Eugène resisted the necessary investment. On 2 April 1896, Armand therefore founded Société Anonyme des Automobiles Peugeot and built a factory in Audincourt for internal-combustion passenger cars.

In February 1910, lacking a male heir, he agreed to merge with Eugène’s company. When he retired from management in 1913, Peugeot was France’s largest car maker, producing 10,000 vehicles annually. He died on 2 January 1915 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, on Paris’s western outskirts.