Jacques Rouché

After studies at the École Polytechnique and the Institut d'études politiques de Paris, he worked for several different ministries and was appointed head of security at the Exposition Universelle (1889).

He then introduced scented sample cards and slowly expanded the company, opening branches as far-flung as New York, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong.

In 1907, he acquired La Grande Revue, a legal publication founded in 1897 by Fernand Labori (who had been defense counsel for Lucy Dreyfus and Émile Zola) and turned it into a cultural journal.

His regular contributors included Maurice Denis and George Desvallières (painting), Jacques Copeau (theater), Romain Rolland (music), André Suarès (literature) and Gaston Doumergue (politics).

His work attracted the attention of officials in the French government who were looking to replace André Messager as head of the Paris Opera.

In fact, during the thirty years of his tenure, he contributed over 20 million Francs of his own money to keep the Opera functioning and came close to resigning over the issue in 1932.

[2] In 1914, he undertook a tour of the major European opera halls, meeting with managers, directors, engineers, designers and composers to seek their advice.

Rouché, already past retirement at 78 years old, wanted to give up his position but was convinced to stay by his staff, who feared that a Nazi administrator might replace him.

In 2007, the Bibliothèque nationale de France organized an exposition in his honor, called "La modernité à l’Opéra : Jacques Rouché (1914–1945)".