Jean de Suarez d'Aulan

Jean de Suarez d'Aulan (20 November 1900 – 8 October 1944) was a French aristocrat, aviator, auto racer, bobsledder, businessman and soldier.

Aviator Jean d'Aulan

Background

Jean de Suarez d'Aulan was the son of Marquis François de Suarez d'Aulan (1864–1910) and his wife Madeleine de Geoffre de Chabrignac. Jean inherited a substantial sum of money, estimated to be near 500 million Fr,[1] which made him one of the wealthiest aristocrats in Europe. The ‘Suarez’ name originates from the Spanish aristocracy, which held the principle title Duke of Feria among other Spanish titles, while the ‘Aulan’ part of the name originates from the French family seat of the name which is attached to the titles of Marquis and Count. Moran Suarez, from which the Suarez d'Aulan are directly descended, was one of forty knights who captured the city of Xores (Jerez de la Frontera), on the Moors, in 1266. Jean d'Aulan was also the grandson of Marquis Arthur de Suarez d'Aulan, whose second wife was the American heiress Norma Christmas, of Natchez, Mississippi.[2][3]

Sports career

Bobsleigh

As a bobsledder, d'Aulan won a bronze medal in the four-man event at the 1934 FIBT World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Competing in four Winter Olympics, his best finish was fourth in the four-man event at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix.[4]

Auto racing

D'Aulan drove an EHP in the 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans race with René Dely, finishing 14th.[5]

Aviation

As an aviator, d'Aulan won rally events in Egypt in 1937 and in France in 1938.[4]

Military career

During World War I, d'Aulan fought in the 5th Battalion in the infantry, enlisting in 1918.

After France fell in 1940, d'Aulan joined the Free French Forces and was assigned to the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot as a second lieutenant.[6] D'Aulan flew various fighter aircraft, including the Supermarine Spitfire, and participated in several air operations over Europe.[7] On 8 October 1944, while flying his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt on a mission over Germany, he was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and killed.[6] He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Légion d'honneur, among other military honors.[6]

D'Aulan's death was a significant loss to the French Resistance and the Free French Forces, and he was mourned by many in France and beyond.[6] In his memory, several streets and public places in France have been named after him.[6]

Despite his short life, Jean d'Aulan made significant contributions to sports, aviation, and military service. He was a versatile athlete and a skilled aviator who competed at the highest levels in his fields. As a soldier, he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and remains a symbol of courage and patriotism.

Personal life

Jean de Suarez d'Aulan married in 1926 Anne Marie Yolande Kunkelmann (1904–1989), daughter of the founder of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne.[8] Together, they had four children: Francois (10th Marquis of Aulan), Catherine (married to Claude Taittinger), Guilaine (married to Count de Poix) and Philippe.[9]

During the summer, the Marquesses d'Aulan resided at their ancestral estate, the Château d'Aulan, located in the Department of Drôme in the southern region of France. In the winter season, they occupied their elegant town residence in the fashionable precincts of Paris.[10]

His widow Yolande de Suarez d'Aulan married in 1946 General Guy d'Alès de Corbet (1895–1972).

References
  1. "Jean DE SUAREZ D'AULAN Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age". olympics.com.
  2. Norma H. (born 6 July 1855 near Louisville, Kentucky) was the daughter of Richard Christmas and Mary Elizabeth Phillips. Richard Christmas was an extensive landowner in Issaquena County during the antebellum times. His plantation, Shiloh, was located on the Mississippi River. Richard Christmas was a wealthy man of his times owning thousands of acres of land throughout Mississippi. The 1860 Issaquena County Federal Census shows the value of his Issaquena property at $390,000 (which in the years 2003–2004, would be nearly $8 million dollars). The slaves schedules show that his Issaquena County plantation, at the end of the American Civil War, was home to 166 slaves and the plantation consisted of sixty slave houses. After the death of Richard, his widow, Mary Elizabeth and his daughter, Norma H. lived in New Orleans, Washington DC, San Francisco and New York City. They also spent considerable time in Europe. On 17 March 1886, Norma H. married the Marquis de Suarez d'Aulan in Paris.
  3. Henderson R. Historic building could become wedding chapel, conference center [Internet]. [place unknown]: Mississippi Business Journal; 2003 Jul 14 [cited 2023 May 02]. Available from: https://msbusiness.com/2003/07/historic-building-could-become-wedding-chapel-conference-center/
  4. Jean d'Aulan Olympic Results [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sports Reference; [date unknown] [cited 2023 May 02]. Available from: https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/da/jean-da-ulan-1.html
  5. 1925 24 Hours of Le Mans [Internet]. [place unknown]: Racing Sports Cars; [date unknown] [cited 2023 May 02]. Available from: http://www.racingsportscars.com/race/Le_Mans-1925-06-20-2591.html
  6. "M. Jean de Suarez d'Aulan". The Times. London, England. 17 October 1944. p. 2.
  7. "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  8. "1925 Le Mans 24 hour race classification". lemans-history.com.
  9. "1936 bobsleigh two-man results". todor66.com.
  10. "Champagne region of France profile" (in French). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.

Wallenchinsky, David. (1984). "Bobsled: Four-man." In The Complete Book of the Olympics: 1896–1980. New York: Penguin Books. p. 559.

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