Jean Plichon was a French industrialist and politician. He trained as a mining engineer. When his father died in 1888 he inherited the presidency of the Bethune mining company and also replaced his father as deputy for the Nord department. He remained head of the Bethune mining company and a member of the legislature or senate for most of the remainder of his life. He advocated protectionist policies throughout his career.

Charles Ignace Plichon was a French lawyer, businessman and politician. As a young man he was attracted to the social idealism of Saint-Simonianism. In 1841–42 he undertook a diplomatic and exploratory mission to the regency of Tunis, which was seeking French protection from the Turks In 1844–45 he travelled in Egypt to obtain information about the proposed Suez Canal, and returned via Palestine, Syria and Turkey. He represented Hazebrouck in the Nord department as a deputy in the last years of the July Monarchy. He avoided politics during the French Second Republic and the early years of the Second French Empire, then again represented Hazebrouck as a champion of Catholic and protectionist interests from 1857 until his death in 1888. He made a fortunate marriage through which he became President of the Compagnie des mines de Béthune. He was briefly Minister of Public Works in 1870.