Louis Say

Louis Auguste Say (9 March 1774 in Lyon – 6 March 1840 in Paris) was a French businessman and economist. He founded large sugar refineries in Nantes and Paris, and the sugar company "Say", known after 1972 as Béghin-Say; as of 2002 it is a subsidiary of Tereos. Early life and family background Say was born on 6 March 1774 in Lyon, France. His father, Jean-Etienne Say, was a Swiss-born silk trader. His mother was Françoise Brun de Castanet. He had a brother, Jean-Baptiste Say, who later became a classical liberal economist. His paternal family were Protestants from Nîmes who were exiled in Geneva, Switzerland after the repeal of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. His paternal great-grandfather, also named Louis Say, moved first to Amsterdam, where he was a member of the Walloon Church, before settling in Geneva in 1694. His paternal grandfather, Jean Say, became a Swiss citizen. Business career Say began his career as a broker in Paris. He then moved to Abbeville, where he worked in the calico-whitening industry.