Mathieu Dreyfus

Mathieu Dreyfus (1857-1930) was an Alsatian Jewish industrialist and the older brother of Alfred Dreyfus, a French military officer falsely convicted of treason in what became known as the Dreyfus Affair. Mathieu was one of his brother's most loyal supporters throughout the affair.

Mathieu was born two years before Alfred, in Mulhouse, in Alsace, then controlled by France. His schooling was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, a French defeat which led to the loss of Alsace to Germany. His father, the director of a cotton factory, chose to retain French nationality for himself and his young children, and moved the family to Paris.

Mathieu continued his studies in Paris. At 18, he joined the 9th regiment of Hussars at Belfort but, unlike Alfred, he did not pursue a military career. With his other brothers, Jacques and Léon, Mathieu followed the family tradition and worked in the cotton business in Mulhouse. In 1885, he became its director. In May 1889, he married Suzanne Marguerite Schwob, the daughter of a textile manufacturer from Héricourt, not far from Belfort. They had two children. Their daughter, Magui, married Adolphe, the son of Joseph Reinach. Their son Émile, served in the French artillery in World War I and was killed on October 22, 1915.

In October 1894, while he was in Mulhouse, Mathieu received a telegram from Lucie, Alfred's wife, asking him to come to Paris. Arriving on November 1, Mathieu learned that his brother had been arrested for treason. Mathieu had no doubt that the arrest had been a mistake that would quickly be cleared up. Mathieu arranged a meeting with the commandant Armand du Paty de Clam, who had carried out his brother's arrest. Paty de Clam indicated that the charges against Alfred were overwhelming and he would soon confess. Convinced of his brother's innocence, Mathieu proposed a deal to Paty de Clam: “Let me get close to my brother […] You will listen to our conversation from behind a curtain. If, impossible as it may be, he has done something wrong, he will tell me all and I myself will put the pistol in his hands.” Paty de Clam refused. Mathieu then found a lawyer to represent his brother, Edgar Demange. On December 13, 1894, several days before Alfred's appearance before the Council of War, Mathieu attempted to meet with Colonel Jean Sandherr, the head of the intelligence service and a fellow Mulhousien. Sandherr hid behind military secrecy. Mathieu then contacted the journalist and member of parliament Joseph Reinach, who was also convinced of Dreyfus' innocence. Reinach requested of President Casimir-Perier that the trial not take place in camera, a lost cause.

...
Wikipedia