Francis Meilland (February 20, 1912— June 15, 1958) was a French rose breeder and co-founder of Meilland International, a family-owned rose growing company in southern France. The Meilland family has been breeding and selling roses since 1850. Francis Meilland is best known for developing the legendary Hybrid tea rose, 'Peace', in the 1930s. Since the rose's introduction in the U.S. in 1945, over 40 million 'Peace' roses have been sold worldwide. Biography The Meilland family Francis Meilland is the most celebrated member of the six generation, Meilland family of French rose breeders and nursery owners. The family's rosarian origins began in 1850 with Francis's great-grandfather, Joseph Rambaux, a gardener at Parc de la Tête d'Or in Lyon. He is best known for developing the popular Polyantha rose, 'Perle d'Or'. None of the rose varieties that Rambaux developed were introduced until after his death in 1878. Rambaux left his nursery to his wife Claudine, his daughter, Marie, and her husband, Francis Dubreuil. Dubreuil was a tailor at the time, but gave up the profession to help run the family business. Claudine also bred and introduced her own roses. Dubreuil developed over 64 rose varieties during his career. Francis's father, Antoine Meilland, was hired as Dubreuil's gardening assistant in 1900. At the nursery, he met Dubreuil's daughter, Claudia. The couple married in 1909, and Francis was born three years later on February 20, 1912 in Lyon. He was named after his grandfather, Francis Dubreuil. Early years Francis's father, Antoine was drafted into the French army in 1914. His wife, Claudia, managed the family nursery until Antoine returned from the war in 1919. The Meilland family later moved to Tassin-la-Demi-Lune and bought a larger property to expand their rose growing business. Francis showed a strong interest in roses as a child. He worked with his parents at the nursery from the age of fourteen. He would often accompany Antoine to meetings with clients and other rose breeders. On one of their business trips in 1932, Francis and Antoine met with one of his father's clients in Antibes, the rose breeder Francesco Paolino and his wife Marie-Elizabeth. During this trip, Francis met their daughter, Louisette, who was twelve at the time and would later marry Francis. Francis's first attempts to breed roses were not successful. His father later took Francis to a meeting of rose hybridizers to meet a prominent rose breeder, Charles Mallerin.