FRANCK Léon

(Johann) Leo FRANCK was born on 31 December 1870 in Wiltz. He was the son of Jean FRANCK (Postbeamter) and Anna STEINMETZ.
According to the date of birth of the couple’s children, the family resided consecutively in the following places:

1865 Diekirch
1867 Echternach
1870 Wiltz
1877 Bettembourg
1880 Esch sur Alzette

Léon FRANCK studied chemistry in Bern.
In 1894 he published, together with professor ROSSEL of the Bern University, two scientific articles which raised interest in the respective scientific communities.
In 1897 FRANCK came back to his parent’s home in Esch sur Alzette and became an active member of the SNL (Société des Naturalistes Luxembourgeois) in the same year.
In 1898 he worked for the Fresenius Institut in Wiesbaden, while residing in Esch sur Alzette, and in 1899 he worked as chimiste-métallurgiste in Louvain.
In 1900 FRANCK married Frideborg JOHANNSON (of Sweden) in Luxembourg-city and took on a job in Pompey (Nancy), again as chimiste-métallurgique. When his daughter Léa was born in 1901, he declared residence in Frouart (Meurthe et Moselle), his occupation being ingénieur-chimiste.
FRANCK returned to Luxembourg in 1904 where he joined the HADIR steelworks in Differdange as chimiste en chef (HADIR was founded in 1896).
He stayed with HADIR until his retirement in 1930.
One source mentions that FRANCK also acted as Director of the Berufsschule Differdingen from the date of its creation in 1909 up to 1925.
In 1930 he lived in 25 avenue de la Liberté, Luxembourg-city, where he died in 1939.
The death notice referred to him as “ancien chef de laboratoire d’HADIR, Differdange”.
An obituary on FRANCK was published in Revue Technique Luxembourgeoise in 1939.

FamilySearch database (GQJB-R22)