Antonin Besse

Sir Antonin Besse (1877–1951) was a French-born businessman based in Aden, Yemen, where he spent most of his adult life.

In 1902 and after the end of his contract with Bardey & Co., he moved to the city of Hodeida and founded his own trade with capital borrowed from his brother-in-law.

In France, negotiations were successful to obtain a large loan from a bank, that enabled him to establish his work in Aden and pay all his debts.

His brother-in-law – with the assistance of a lawyer – managed to settle his debts with the bank and to pay reduced premiums, but before maturity.

Besse built the headquarters of his company in Aidrus Road, Crater, the building continued to be the centre of operations until his death in 1951.

When Besse traveled to Mukalla on a sailing ship, the journey was slow and uncomfortable, prompting him to establish in 1936 an airline company with a capital of five thousand pounds, dubbed Arabian Airways, the fleet consisted of two small planes, each with a capacity of four seats.

After this contribution, the university decided to reconsider Besse's offer to help found a new college and, recognising the need to provide for the growing number of postgraduate students coming to Oxford, gave the venture their blessing; and in 1948, Besse signed a deed of trust appointing the college's first trustees.

Sir Antonin Besse suffered a stroke in the summer of 1948 and, three years later, died in Gordonstoun on 2 July 1951, aged 74.

He developed his father's business intelligently until the independence of South Yemen in 1967 and the enforcement of the Nationalization Act.