Marcel Bich

Marcel Bich (Turin, Italy, 29 July 1914 – Paris, France, 30 May 1994) was a manufacturer and co-founder of Bic, the world's leading producer of ballpoint pens.

History

In 1945, Marcel Bich and his partner, Edouard Buffard, bought an empty factory near Paris, France. Bich’s knowledge of the writing instrument trade, gained while working as a production manager for an ink maker, had them starting with production of fountain pen parts and mechanical lead pencils.

In 1950, Marcel Bich purchased the patent for the ballpoint pen from Hungarian László Bíró who had been producing such pens since 1943 in Argentina.

The company formed by Bich still exists as the Société Bic Group and is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

Early years

Marcel Bich was born in Turin, Italy on July 29, 1914, the son of a Aosta Valley engineer, Aime Mario Bich, who held the title Baron which had been conferred on his great-grandfather, Emmanuel Bich in 1841. Bich became a French citizen in his thirties before studying law at the University of Paris.^[1]

Yacht racing and sailing

Bich was a keen sailor. He funded four campaigns to compete in the trials to select a challenger for the America's Cup in 1970, 1974, 1977 and 1980, and was inducted, posthumously, into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1998.

References

1. ↑ "Obituary: Baron Marcel Bich" (2 June 1994) The Independent

External links

• BIC Corporate History
• Obituary, The Independent