Fritz Dupre

Fritz Dupré was a London merchant of iron and manganese ores, who became known as the "Manganese Ore King".

Early life and career Friedrich Carl Cornel Philipp Dupré was born in Bad Soden-Salmünster, in the Main-Kinzig district, in Hesse, Germany, on 10 March 1862. His parents were Wilhelm (Guillaume) Charles Frédéric Achilles and Ernestine Weisbecker.

In March 1895, he established F. Dupré & Co, dealing principally in iron and manganiferous ores from Greece and Spain for supply to the steel making industry. Refinements in steel required manganese ore with a lower phosphorus content, and Dupré contracted to take almost the whole production of the largest Brazilian manganese ore mine, the Morro da Mina Mine, to sell in Europe and the US. From 1900, India developed into a major source of low phosphorus manganese ore and Dupré introduced it into Europe and the US as "Oriental Manganese Ore". He married Magdalena Eva Elisabeth Hecker ("Else") and they had six children. The family's first home was 2 Clifton Hill, St John's Wood, following which they moved to The Firs, beside Hampstead Heath, near the Spaniards Inn.

They also owned a large holiday house on the esplanade in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, called Turret Lodge; this had been used as a hospital during the Great War.

Dupré died at The Firs on 9 December 1936 and was buried on the east side of Highgate Cemetery. His estate was valued for probate at £230,519, the equivalent of over £15 million today.