Léon Chagnaud

Léon Chagnaud was born on 12 March 1866 in Le Bourg-d'Hem, rural France.

[1][2] His father, Hippolyte Chagnaud, was a mason based in Guéret who owned quarries of granite which were used to pave some of the streets of Paris.

[2] In provincial France, he built locks of the Canal du Centre, the Rove Tunnel, the aqueduct of Achères, the Éguzon Dam.

[2] Chagnaud purchased L'Écho de La Creuse, a regional newspaper.

[2] He served on the board of directors of the Société des Mines de bitume et d'Asphalte du Centre (SMAC), which owned an asphalt mine in Pont-du-Château and pioneered the use of asphalt to build roads in France.

[3] Additionally, he served on the Boards of Directors of two Moroccan companies: Omnium de Transports au Maroc and Ports Marocains.