Hélène Mercier had a very good marriage, my grandmother would have said, when she married Bernard Arnault in 1991. The director of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE was already sitting on one of France's largest fortunes. But she certainly couldn't have imagined that he would one day make her the richest woman in the world.
The feat was achieved last year when Bloomberg named the French luxury mogul the “richest man in the world” with an estimated net worth of $162 billion, ahead of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, with whom he has been on the ultra-wealthy podium for some time stands . (Earlier this year, he lost his top position to the Twitter enthusiast and e-commerce mogul, whose fortunes fluctuated constantly with the ups and downs of their stock market prices.)
Despite her status as a wealthy first lady, Ms. Mercier-Arnault is anything but a reserved woman. Her career as a concert pianist took her from Prague to Shanghai, where she played with the largest orchestras in the world. Enough to feed her three children well without having to constantly wait for her husband's wages.
Hélène Mercier-Arnault was born on March 5, 1960 in Montreal. She is the daughter of Me François Mercier (1923-2010), founding member of the law firm Stikeman Elliott, and Lucile Rouleau (1921-2021), real estate agent. His family's history is as impressive as his fortune.
THE ANCESTOR
The ancestor Charles Mercier, known as Lajoie (1735-1817), a soldier in the Berry Regiment, came to New France in 1757 to save the colony, which was more threatened than ever. He took part in at least two important battles: that of Fort Carillon (1758), where Montcalm's 4,000 soldiers had the upper hand over 16,000 British, and that of Sainte-Foy (1760), which was won by the troops of Vaudreuil and Lévis.
The following year he married the young Marie-Anne Lahaise (1746–1825), aged 14, a fourth-generation Canadian who gave birth to 15 children. The couple settled in the Lachenaie estate.
During the uprisings of 1837–1838, three of his grandchildren, including François Mercier (1805–1886), belonged to Committees 38 and 75 of the Patriots of Saint-Roch-de-Lachenaie.
His son, Joseph Mercier (1833–1899), was a carriage manufacturer. His brother, François-Xavier (1837–1906), a strong man of 1.80 m, a tall traveler, was a co-founder of Fort Reliance in the Yukon. He traded furs as far away as Siberia.
Joseph's son Oscar-Félix Mercier (1866-1929) was a surgeon, as was his son Oscar (1898-1945). The latter was trained in Paris and was the first French-Canadian urologist. A professor and vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal, he died tragically, drowning in his chalet in Saint-Hippolyte-de-Kilkenny, in front of his helpless wife and son.
He was the grandfather of the woman who would one day become the richest woman in the world.
The Merciers of America really weren't born for bread.
Further details “Mr. Mercier, famous Canadian traveler » Engraving from L'opinion publique, Vol. 2, no. 43, p. 517 (October 26, 1871), based on a photo by William Notman (1826-1891). Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Paternal line of HÉLÈNE MERCIER-ARNAULT
I. MERCIER, François (1923-2010) ROULEAU, Lucile (1921-2021) Married on May 25, 1946, Saint-Jacques, Montréal II. MERCIER, Oscar (1898-1945) BRUNEAU, Jeanne (1900-1987) m. July 12, 1922, Notre-Dame de Montréal III. MERCIER, Oscar-Félix (1866-1929) ROLLAND, Alexina (1875?-1933) m. June 4, 1895, Notre-Dame de Montréal IV. MERCIER, Joseph (1833-1899) GAUTHIER, Zoé (1831-1908) m April 5, 1855, Varennes V. MERCIER, François (1805-1886) THERRIEN, Victoire (1807-1871) m. November 3, 1829, Repentigny VI. MERCIER, Joseph (1777-1821) LACHAPELLE, Marie-Catherine (1781-1854) m. November 17, 1800, Repentigny VII. MERCIER, Charles (1735-1817) LAHAISE, Mariane (1746-1825) m. June 22, 1761 , Assumption Day