Louis Nicolle was born on 16 June 1871 in
Lille, Nord. Nicolle's father was a former naval officer. His mother came from an established family of Lille industrialists. Nicolle attended the
lycée in Lille, undertook his year of military service, then entered the business of manufacturing
linen from
flax. He became honorary chairman of the French Flax Committee, president of the Industrial Society of the Nord and French president of the International Federation of Flax Spinners. He was elected mayor of
Lomme. In 1911 Nicolle bought the Vandenbosh flax mill in
Wambrechies. During
World War I (1914–18) the Germans occupied the town, removed the machinery and dismantled the facilities. After the war Nicolle used compensation for wartime damage to build a modern new factory. The architect
André Granet, nephew of
Gustave Eiffel, undertook the project in 1923–25 using reinforced concrete. The building was a pioneering example of the new construction approach. In 1924 Nicolle was elected deputy on the Democratic Republican Entente list, and was reelected until he retired from political life in 1936. He was
Minister of Health from 24 January 1936 to 4 June 1936 in the cabinet of
Albert Sarraut. Louis Nicolle died in Paris in the 8th arrondissement on 23 July 1942 at the age of 71. ==Publications==