Gootchaux Ettinger

Godchaux Ettinger, alternatively spelled as Gootchaux Ettinger, was a French-Brazilian politician, farmer, businessman and industrialist who served as city councilor for the municipality of Itabaiana in the late 19th century and built cotton ginning factories in Frei Paulo and Pinhão.^[1]

Godchaux Ettinger
Former city councilor of Itabaiana, Brazil
Personal details
Born	April 16th 1836 Osthouse, Alsace, Kingdom of France
Died	October 16th 1917, aged 81 Laranjeiras, Sergipe, First Brazilian Republic
Citizenship	France, Brazil
Spouse	Maria da Anunciação Jesus
Children	Gabriel Ettinger, Isac Ettinger, Arão Ettinger, Julia Ettinger, Maurício Ettinger
Parent(s)	Alexandre Ettinger (father), Sara Bloch (mother)
Occupation	Politician, businessman, industrialist, farmer

Early life

Godchaux Ettinger was born in the French commune of Osthouse, near the border with the German Confederation, on April 16th 1836. Born in an Ashkenazi Jewish family, Godchaux had 11 siblings, being the 6th child of Alexandre Ettinger and Sara Bloch.^{[2][unreliable source]}

Immigration to Brazil and death

Ettinger moved to Brazil in 1880, when his ship landed on the port of Aracati, Ceará. He established himself in the city of Itabaiana, Sergipe, where he would acquire rural properties in the then village of São Paulo (later renamed to Frei Paulo). Due to the civil war in the United States, the European demand for cotton increased the prices of the product and made it possible for farmers in the Itabaiana region to profit from its cultivation, observing the economic opportunity that this had brought, Godchaux decided to build the first cotton ginning factories in Frei Paulo and Pinhão, in 1889 and 1890 respectively, this made it possible for farmers in the region to separate the cotton from its seeds locally, without the need for extra expenses with transportation. A few years after, Ettinger became a city councilor for the municipality of Itabaiana. He died on the 26th of October 1917, in Laranjeiras, at the age of 81.^[1][3]