Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour
(1797-1872)

The industrialist and businessman François Barthélemy Arlès-Dufour (1797-1872) was a French silk merchant and leading exponent of Saint-Simonianism, a political and social movement based on the ideas expounded by Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon. In essence, Saint-Simonianism held that industrialization and scientific discoveries would have profound changes on society.

Born to a poor family, Arlès-Dufour had little formal education and began work in a shawl factory at the age of 16. Later he joined a silk company based at Liepzig in Germany, married into the owners' family and was placed in charge of its Lyon operations. Working first for his in-laws and then independently, he made a fortune in silk. He also became involved in banking, railways and the Suez canal project. He played an important role in the Lyon Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the jury in various international expositions. He believed in free trade and in social institutions that would help the most disadvantaged in society.