Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe (French: [ɑ̃ʁi døtsʃ də la mœʁt]; 25 September 1846 – 24 November 1919), born Salomon Henry Deutsch, was a successful French petroleum businessman (known as the "Oil King of Europe"[1]), and a supporter of early aviation.

In 1845, Alexander Deutsch founded a company for the processing and marketing of vegetable oils in La Villette, then an independent commune of Paris.

In 1877, Deutsch brought his two sons, Henri and Emile, into the family business, which bought a refinery in Rouen in 1881 and another in St. Loubès in Gironde in 1883.

Deutsch financed the venture by buying the only block of shares to be sold in France, and used his influence with the French government.

[5] On 21 May 1911, Deutsch was injured, and French Minister of War Maurice Berteaux was killed, when a Train monoplane crashed at the beginning of the 1911 Paris to Madrid air race.

[7][8] Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe was posthumously made Commander of the Legion of Honor on November 20, 1912.

The winner of the prize needed to maintain an average ground speed of at least 22 km/h (14 mph) to cover the round trip distance of 11 km (6.8 mi) in the allotted time.

However, a short delay arose before his mooring line was secured, and at first the adjudicating committee refused him the prize, despite de la Meurthe, who was present, declaring himself satisfied.

[12] It was won on January 13, 1908, by Henry Farman flying a Voisin biplane at Issy-les-Moulineaux in a time of 1 minute 28 seconds, then a distance and speed record since the flights of the Wright Brothers had not been officially witnessed.