1824

The two decades of Kessler’s life in France are well documented in the company archives of Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin & Cie as well as those of the city of Reims and the Marne department. In his adopted country, he was not only the respected principal of a famous Champagne house, but also a banker, a co-founder of the municipal savings and pensions bank and, last not least, an industrialist. In the articles of association from 1824, sealing his partnership on an equal footing with Madame Clicquot, the company’s founding date was given as 1821. But by 1826, he had to choose between attending to the developing textil factory in Esslingen and pursuing his business interests in Reims. And so, in May of that year, he took over on his own account the former Veuve Clicquot subsidiary in Esslingen (later to be known as Merkel & Kienlin, ”Esslinger Wolle”), and in return gave up partnership and residence in Reims.