Education
He studied at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris but had little interest in business and did not go on to advanced studies.
He studied at the Lycée Condorcet in Paris but had little interest in business and did not go on to advanced studies.
Born in Paris, Antoine Menier was the eldest of the four sons of Georges Menier (1880–1933) and Simone Camille Marie Legrand (1881–1972). Instead, he used his wealth to pursue a life of sporting activities. An auto racing enthusiast, Antoine Menier set a number of records driving Alfa Romeo vehicles in hillclimbing events.
In 1933 Antoine Menier became the mayor of Lognes, a town about two miles (32 km) south of the family"s factories in Noisiel.
He held that office until 1959 but was the last Menier to be the town"s mayor. On Antoine"s death his estate became the subject of a court battle and ultimately the château was acquired by his widowed sister-in-law, Odette.
In spite of the difficult times of World World War II, in 1950 Menier Chocolate was still the industry leader in France. On Hubert"s death in 1959 there was no Menier family member capable or desirous of replacing him.
Married late in life to Parisian fashion model Renée Vigne, Antoine Menier had no children and was the last of the Menier family to head the company.
By 1960 the once mighty Menier Chocolate company was losing substantial amounts of money and merged with the Rozan chocolate company of Oloron-Sainte-Marie. A shell of its former self, the Menier workforce in Noisiel was soon reduced from a peak of more than 2,000 to just a few hundred. By 1965 the Menier family no longer held an interest in the company.
Antoine Menier died in Paris in 1967.