Albert Lemaître

Albert Lemaître, (aka Georges Lemaître), was a French sporting motorist and early racing driver. He was the first petrol powered finisher in what is described as 'the world's first competitive motoring event' when he drove his Peugeot Type 7 from Paris to Rouen at 19 km/h (12 mph) in 1894. The Comte de Dion had finished first but his steam powered vehicle was ineligible for the main prize which was shared between the manufacturers Peugeot and Panhard.

Throughout the 1890s he competed in a range of events and races driving Peugeots, but after their withdrawal from competition in the early 1900s he was contracted to drive Mercedes.

In 1906 in Paris he murdered his wife in a domestic argument after she had filed for divorce. He then fired the third gunshot into his own head. In September 1906 he was acquitted of a Crime of passion.

Albert Lemaître was born (circa 1864) in Ay, Marne, a village outside Épernay, where he worked in partnership with his brother as an exporter in the champagne industry. Circa 1901 (1900) he married Miss Lucie Dumény after her first engagement had been broken off for family reasons. After 4 years of happy marriage Lucie had rekindled feelings for her ex-fiancée and in February 1906 she both filed for divorce and moved out of the marital apartment. On 7 May 1906 at the apartment on rue de Miromesnil in Paris he murdered her with two gunshots and then shot himself in the head, she was 28 years old and had no children. Albert Lemaître was taken to the 'Hopital Beaujon' and on hearing the news of her death Lucie's lover also shot himself. In September 1906 Lemaître was acquitted of a Crime of passion.

On 22 July 1894, Pierre Giffard organised what is considered to be the world's first competitive motoring event from Paris to Rouen to publicise his newspaper, Le Petit Journal. The paper promoted it as a Competition for Horseless Carriages (Concours des Voitures sans Chevaux) that were not dangerous, easy to drive, and cheap during the journey. The 'easy to drive' clause precluded the use of a travelling mechanic or technical assistant, thereby making steam powered vehicles ineligible for the main prize.

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