Lesseps, Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de

0.03 sec.

Born Nov. 19, 1805, in Versailles; died Dec. 7, 1894, at La Chenaie, Indre Department. French diplomat and entrepreneur. Trained as a lawyer.

From 1825 to 1849, Lesseps held diplomatic posts in a number of European and African countries, including Egypt from 1831 to 1837. Using his personal connections at the Egyptian court, Lesseps in 1854 received a concession to build the Suez Canal from the ruler of Egypt, Said Pasha, and organized the General Company of the Suez Canal. From 1859 to 1869 he directed construction of the canal. From 1879 to 1889 he headed a jointstock company for digging the Panama Canal, which suffered a scandalous bankruptcy as a result of large-scale financial abuses. In 1893, Lesseps was sentenced by a Paris court to five years in prison, but the verdict was soon set aside.

In 1875, Lesseps became an honorary member of the Royal Society, and in 1884 he was elected to the French Academy.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback

Mentioned in	?		Encyclopedia browser	?		Full browser	?
No references found			Lesmian, Boleslaw Lesnaia Lesnaia Promyshlennost Lesnea, George Lesniewski, Stanislaw Lesnoi Lesnye Poliany Lesogorsk Lesogorskii Lesopilnoe Lesotho Lesotho Independence Day Lesozavodsk Lesozavodskii Lespedeza Lespinasse, Julie Jeanne Éléonore de less than less than symbol less-than-carload Lesse Lesse River lessee Lesseps Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, vicomte de Lesseps, Ferdinand, viscount de Lesseps, Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de Lesser Antilles Lesser Black-Backed Gull Lesser Caucasus lesser circulation Lesser Dog lesser ebb lesser flood Lesser Himalayas Lesser Horde Lesser Kestrel Lesser Khingan Lesser Lion lesser omentum Lesser Panda Lesser Rorqual Lesser Slave Lake Lesser Soviet Encyclopedia Lesser Spotted Dogfish Lesser Sunda Islands Lesser Urals lesser wax moth Lessing Lessing, Doris Lessing, Doris May Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim			lesseeships lesseeships lesseeships lesseeships lessen lessen lessen importance of lessen in force lessen in power lessen in value lessen in worth lessen one’s reputation lessen the labor lessen the price of lessen the reputation of lessen the self-confidence of lessen the strength of lessened lessened Lessener lessening lessening lessening of price lessens lessens Lesseps Lesseps Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps, Ferdinand, viscount de Lesseps, Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de lesser lesser lesser lesser lesser lesser anteater Lesser Antilles Lesser Antilles lesser ape lesser ape lesser ape Lesser apes Lesser apes Lesser apes Lesser Armenia Lesser Asia Lesser Asia Lesser Atlas Mountains Lesser Atlas Mountains Lesser Bandicoot Rat Lesser Bandicoot Rat Lesser Banishing Pentagram Ritual Lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram Lesser black backed gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser blackback Lesser blackbacked gull Lesser Blackrock Spire lesser bullrush

Encyclopedia

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.