Family History - Joseph Marie François Coty (born
Spoturno)
| Key: | 1. | “+” before a child’s name indicates the child has their own entry in the next generation. |
| 2. | “born xxxx” indicates the child is under 18 years of age so the birth date is not shown. |
Children of Joseph Marie François Coty (born Spoturno) and Yvonne Alexandrine Le Baron:
| 2 | i. | Roland Alphee Spoturno (born Coty), born 1901 in Paris, France.2 | |
| + | 3 | ii. | Christiane Yvonne Coty, born 1903; died 2005. Married Paul Dubonnet. |
- Wikipedia, François Coty.
- François Coty: Fragrance, Power, Money, by Roulhac B. Toledano and Elizabeth Z. Coty. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., Gretna, Louisiana, 2009. Available at Google Books.
Paul Dubonnet was the youngest of four children of Joseph and Florence (LeBlanc) Dubonnet, and grandson of Joseph Dubonnet, founder of the famed Dubonnet apéritif wines in 1846.
Paul’s marriage to Christiane Coty in 1920 united the Dubonnet family with another powerful and wealthy family, the Coty family, world renown for perfumes and cosmetics. Paul and Christiane’s respective parents had known each other for years. Early in their marriage, Paul worked in administration for the Coty SA company in the United States.1
Paul enjoyed owning luxury sports cars. Paul, with his brother André, ordered two custom-made 1922 Hispano-Suiza Boulogne cars in order to compete in a 1922 race from Paris to Nice. Paul crashed one of the two cars prior to a race, and André crashed the other during the race. Experienced racing driver Paul Bablot won the race in a third car of the same make and model.6
Owing to his marriage to Jean Nash in 1926, and lack of a legal document to protect his pre-marital wealth, Paul was estranged by his siblings; his brother André, furious over Paul’s marriage, ran Paul and Jean’s car off the road, whereupon Paul proceeded to give his brother a beating.
Paul and Jean were in New York early in World War II. Since wine imports from France were not possible during the war, in 1942 Paul began bottling his Dubonnet wines in Philadelphia using wines from California.7
Child of Christiane Yvonne Coty and Paul Dubonnet:
| 4 | i. | Rolande Dubonnet, born 1923.1 |
- François Coty: Fragrance, Power, Money, by Roulhac B. Toledano and Elizabeth Z. Coty. Pelican Publishing Company, Inc., Gretna, Louisiana, 2009. Available at Google Books.
- Geneanet. Marius Dubonnet (Marie Aimé Joseph Dubonnet) known as Joseph Dubonnet (1855-1910). This family tree provides vital details of Joseph, his parents, spouse, and four children and their spouses, including links to each of these individuals showing further vital details. Family Tree Owner: Jean Thiébaut.
- Dubonnet Family Tree, owner: apsdub; available at Ancestry.com.
- England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966; Paul Dubonnet, died 8 July 1961, France.
- Marriage Announcement, The Milwaukee Sentinel, 16 October 1926, marriage of Paul Dubonnet and Mrs. Jean Nash in Paris on 15 October. The article mentions that Paul’s divorce was final the previous day.
- RM Auctions (website), Lot 272, 1922 Hispano-Suiza Boulogne, 31 October 2007. The auction description includes detailed historical information about this custom build racing car, the maker, and several owners of this and the four other similar cars.
- The Wall Street Journal, Leisure & Arts, How’s Your Drink, by Eric Felten, 15 July 2006. Available at djreprints.com (website).