Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Turnhout, Flemish Region, Belgium
About François du Four
- Baron François du Four (Turnhout, Belgium, 1871 – 1945) was a Belgian industrialist.
- He married Germaine Herry in 1902, and together they had seven daughters and a son. When his mother, Josephina Frederika Dessauer, died in 1904, he became the owner of the family business Brepols, a paper - and playing card factory.
- The company at that moment had about 1000 employees.
- From 1919 up to 1932 François du Four was mayor of Turnhout.
- In 1929, King Albert I of Belgium knighted him and granted him the title of baron.
- The heraldic motto of the du Fours is Melius esse quam vider, which means it is better to be than to seem, and their own weapon-shield represents a lion. In Turnhout there is a street named after him: the baron François du Four street, which starts on the central market place of Turnhout.
- In this street the old factory buildings of Brepols were located.
- In 1945, Francois du Four died at the age of 74. François du Four liked racing-horses.
- His thoroughbreds won a lot of races and a lot of price money.
- After he died, regretfully, all his horses were sold.
- In 1904, he had bought a small farm in Retie with neighboring pasture.
- He was especially looking for a place where he could breed thoroughbreds.
- In 1905, he started with the construction of the park where now the castle of Retie stands.
- In 1906, he started the building of a castle and the stables for his horses.
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