Trouble in the Air

Lady luck has always seemed to smile on Baron Ernest-Antoine Seillière de Laborde. Born into the wealthy De Wendel family, inheritors of an 18th century iron and steel dynasty, Seillière rose effortlessly through the ranks of France's ruling élite. After taking his degree from the prestigious Ecole Nationale d'Administration, he launched a promising diplomatic career, served on the staffs of two Prime Ministers and seemed destined for a privileged life in the upper echelons of the French civil service.

Seillière's destiny took a sudden turn in 1978: the family holding company Marine-Wendel, shaken by the collapse of the...