A French Prometheus -Ernest Goüin
Ernest Goüin brought to France the know-how to build a national railroad network and established French industry on the international stage.
England led the world in building railways during the first half of the 19th century. Innovation and industrial development lagged in France during the period of the Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, in the 1820s. However, what French engineers lacked in knowledge and experience they more than made up for in talent and ambition.
When Goüin graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique, in 1836, the government of France was on the verge of committing to build a national railroad network. Overnight, this commitment would create the need for new industries, new technologies, and the knowledge to make them work. So, Goüin went off to England to learn the ropes of the railroad industry and, following in the footsteps of Prometheus from Greek mythology, bring that knowledge back to France.
On his returned, in 1839, Goüin joined the efforts to build the first rail lines in France, the lines from Paris to Saint-Germain, Versailles, and Saint-Cloud. These projects were the training ground for the first generation of leaders of French industry: Flachat, Pereire, Perdonnet, Le Chatelier, Lamé, Marc Seguin, Clapeyron, Polonceau, among others. In 1846, Goüin established the first firm in Paris to manufacture locomotives, buildings, and railroad equipment. Later, he expanded this business to include construction of iron bridges and ship building.
When interest in railway construction spread to the rest of Europe, in the 1850s, Goüin encouraged the industry in France to expand operations outside of the country. He undertook large bridge projects in Hungary, Russia, and around the world. Goüin expanded his business to include railway construction and built more than 1000 km of rail lines in Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Romania, Belgium, Algeria, and Senegal.
Gouin was a follower of the Saint Simonians. He believed that the purpose of industrial development was to provide broad benefits to all members of society, not only profits for a few. To that end, Gouin used the profits from his business to build a hospital and endow a social assistance fund for his employees.
Ernest Goüin is one of the 72 engineers and scientists named on the Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel recruited Émile Nouguier, the lead engineer in the design of the Eiffel Tower, from Ernest Goüin’s firm.
