View source for Patrick Guerrand-Hermès

{{Short description|French-Moroccan sports businessman and billionaire (1932–2024)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
'''Patrick Guerrand-Hermès''' (25 September 1932 – 13 August 2024) was a French-Moroccan sports businessman and billionaire.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/nyregion/16hermes.html|title=Hermès Heir Is Charged With Assaulting a Jetliner Pilot|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|access-date=23 March 2020|first=William K. |last=Rashbaum}}</ref> He is noted for his involvement with Morocco and redevelopment there, most notably the redevelopment of the [[Aïn Kassimou]] in [[Marrakesh]] in the 1980s, a villa built for [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s daughter, [[Olga Tolstoy|Olga]].<ref>{{cite web|url=
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/collection-prive-tableaux-et-sculptures-orientalistes-art-islamique/overview.html|title=Collection Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Islamique provenant de la Villa Aïn Kassimou, Marrakech |publisher=[[Sotheby's]]|access-date=28 October 2012}}</ref>
For those achievements in Morocco, he was granted the Moroccan citizenship by king [[Mohammed VI of Morocco|Mohammed VI]] on 25 April 2019.<ref> {{cite web |title=Le Roi Mohammed VI accorde la nationalité marocaine à des personnalités étrangères |url=https://fr.hespress.com/74145-le-roi-mohamed-vi-accorde-la-nationalite-marocaine-a-des-personnalites-etrangeres.html |website=Hespress |access-date=14 August 2024}}</ref>
He was also an art collector, and in 2001 [[Forbes]] ranked him as the 387th&nbsp;richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $1.3&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://images.forbes.com/media/lists/10/2001/billpdf.pdf|title=Billionaires 2001|magazine=[[Forbes]]|access-date=28 October 2012}}</ref>
==Background==
Guerrand-Hermès was born on 25 September 1932 in Paris in France.<ref name=Lanacion>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/polo/murio-patrick-guerrand-hermes-multimillonario-empresario-y-un-apasionado-jugador-de-polo-hasta-los-nid13082024/|title = Murió Patrick Guerrand-Hermés, multimillonario empresario y un apasionado jugador de polo hasta los 91|date = 14 August 2024}}</ref> Guerrand-Hermès graduated from [[Oxford University]]. His great- great-grandfather, [[Thierry Hermès]], who was French, was founder of the luxury goods firm of [[Hermès]].<ref name=Great>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/oise/patrick-guerrand-hermes-l-homme-orchestre-18-09-2004-2005301548.php|title = Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, l'homme-orchestre|date = 17 September 2004}}</ref> his father was a sailor, Guerrand-Hermès traveled to the world during his childhood.<ref name=Lanacion>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/polo/murio-patrick-guerrand-hermes-multimillonario-empresario-y-un-apasionado-jugador-de-polo-hasta-los-nid13082024/|title = Murió Patrick Guerrand-Hermés, multimillonario empresario y un apasionado jugador de polo hasta los 91|date = 14 August 2024}}</ref>
Guerrand-Hermès died on 13 August 2024, at the age of 91.<ref name=Lanacion/>
==Career==
Guerrand-Hermès first went to Morocco in 1954 as a cavalryman and was stationed at Marrakesh. Thirty years later, in 1984, he bought [[Aïn Kassimou]] as a surprise for his wife Martine and their two sons, Olaf and Mathias.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AuFUAAAAMAAJ&q=Patrick+Guerrand-Hermes|title= House & Garden, Volume 162|access-date=30 October 2012|year=1990|publisher= Condé Nast Publications}}</ref>
As a director of Hermès, he developed the firm's silk business. {{As of|2012}} he was retired and spent nine months a year in Morocco pursuing other business interests. He spent the remaining three months in [[Vineuil-Saint-Firmin]], promoting [[polo]] at the [[Chantilly Polo Club]].<ref name=Great/> His interest in the sport prompted him to become deeply involved in the development of the polo grounds at [[Château de Chantilly]] in the early 1970s.<ref name="Chronicle of the Horse">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=90FQAAAAYAAJ&q=Patrick+Guerrand-Hermes|title= Chronicle of the Horse, Volume 46, Issues 1-12|access-date=30 October 2012|year=1983|publisher= Chronicle of the Horse}}</ref> Château de Chantilly held the first thoroughbred horse race on its grounds when [[Louis&nbsp;XVI]] was king. The first polo ground in the region was established by the [[Rothschild family]] in one of the three farms that belonged to the château in 1920. Fifty years later Guerrand-Hermès and a few of his associates converted the field into a club. It now has ten polo grounds, two of which are suitable for use year-round.<ref name="Lande2008">{{Cite book|last1=Lande|first1= Nathaniel|last2=Lande|first2=Andrew|title= The 10 Best of Everything, Second Edition: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers|work= The Chantilly Polo Club|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vEEbhLEtC0UC&q=Patrick+Guerrand-Herm%C3%A8s&pg=PA20|access-date=30 October 2012|year=2008|publisher= National Geographic Books|isbn=9781426202278|page =20}}</ref>  The club has about 250&nbsp;players who participate in many tournaments and some 3,500&nbsp;horses in training.<ref name="Lande2008"/>
The polo team sponsored by Guerrand-Hermès is known as [[La Palmeraie]]. He has been president of the [[Federation of International Polo]] and was chiefly responsible for organizing the [[2004 World Polo Championship]] at the [[Domaine de Chantilly Polo club]].<ref name=Laffaye>{{Cite book|last= Laffaye |first= Horace A.|title= The Evolution of Polo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9i-bgOjaVysC&q=Patrick+Guerrand-Herm%C3%A8s&pg=PA227|access-date=30 October 2012|year=2009|publisher= McFarland|isbn=9780786438143|pages=227–228}}</ref> The perpetual trophy was presented to La Palmeraie by Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, in memory of his son Lionel, a  rider who died in 1981 at the age of 18. In honor of Lionel, Patrick established the Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy with the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uset.org/uset-foundation-presents-2019-lionel-guerrand-hermes-trophy-to-rising-star-daisy-farish/|title=USET Foundation Presents 2019 Lionel Guerrand-Hermès Trophy to Rising Star Daisy Farish|date=19 January 2019|website=[[United States Equestrian Team]]}}</ref> His second son Mathias was also a member of the North American squad,<ref name="Chronicle of the Horse"/> who died of a heart attack at the age of 38 in Paris on 28 April 2010.<ref name=Mathias>{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=142309799#fbLoggedOut|title=Mathias Guerrand-Hermes|access-date=30 October 2012|newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref>
Guerrand-Hermès also had an interest in the arts and culture of Morocco where he lived for over 50&nbsp;years, along with [[Asian art|oriental arts]] and horses.<ref name=Sotheby>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2012/collection-prive-tableaux-et-sculptures-orientalistes-art-islamique/overview.html|title= Collection Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, Tableaux Orientalistes et Art Islamique provenant de la Villa Aïn Kassimou, Marrakech|access-date=30 October 2012|publisher=Sotheby’s}}</ref> He bought the estate, called the Ain el Quassimou or Aïn Kassimou, a villa in [[Marrakesh]], in the 1980s. This estate was re-developed and is now part of the Palmeraie Polo Club. It is used now for events to support charities and foundations throughout Morocco.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanpoloassociation.com/newsletter|title=American Polo Association Newsletter|last=|first=|date=|website=Issuu - Copy of American Polo Association Newsletter|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>
==References==
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[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century French businesspeople]]
[[Category:French polo players]]
[[Category:French art collectors]]
[[Category:French billionaires]]
[[Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Morocco]]
[[Category:People from Marrakesh]]