Jacques Schnee

"I’m not talking about the good of my company; I’m talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!"

- Jacques, trying to convince Ironwood to give in. "Jacques Schnee doesn't care about people. He cares about winning. That, and making sure he's got the best damn PR team in the world."

- Qrow about Jacques.

Jacques Schnee is a major antagonist in the world of RWBY. He is the President of the Schnee Dust Company, and the father of Winter, Weiss, and Whitley Schnee. He is the main antagonist of Weiss' storyline in Volume 4.

He is voiced by Jason Douglas, who also voiced Beerus in Dragon Ball Super, and Aokiji in in One Piece.

Past
Jacques is married into the Schnee family and took on their surname. He later took over the Schnee Dust Company after convincing the founder, Nicholas Schnee, that he would be the perfect successor when Nicholas' health began to fail. He fathered two daughters and a son: Winter, Weiss and Whitley Schnee. His first daughter, Winter, studied to become a Huntress at Atlas Academy, and later joined Atlesian Military as a Specialist after graduating. His second daughter, Weiss, left for Beacon Academy to study and become a Huntress as well. Jacques has been stated to have been displeased with both Winter and Weiss' decisions, the former for her career in the military, and the latter for enrolling at Beacon rather than Atlas. At some point he retaliated against Winter by cutting her off from the family fortune.

According to Weiss, under his leadership, the Company began to operate in a "moral gray area", and soon became infamous for "controversial labor forces and questionable business partners". This exploitation made them a target for the Faunus militant group known as the White Fang, which began a campaign of terror against the Company, kidnapping and executing board members, interfering with their infrastructure and preying on Schnee family members and friends. This caused the President to become foul-tempered, resulting in a rather difficult childhood for Weiss.

Volume 3
Jacques is seen with his daughter Weiss returned to Atlas.

Volume 4
Jacques is in his office arguing with James Ironwood, who had already placed a Dust embargo on Atlas until he can be certain that the Kingdoms are not about to war. Weiss overhears some of the conversation, but it immediately ceases when they realize that she is there. As Ironwood leaves, he offers Weiss to enroll in Atlas Academy once it's back in session. Jacques expresses his displeasure with Ironwood's decision making and informs Weiss that he wants her to sing at an upcoming charity event whose real purpose is to promote the Schnee family image. Weiss reluctantly agrees.

Weiss becomes infuriated and yells at the crowd. Jacques tries to stop her, but she accidentally loses control of her Semblance and summons a white Boarbatusk which rushes to attack the woman. James Ironwood shoots it down before it harms her. He refuses when the woman demands that he arrest Weiss, stating that she "is the only one making any sense" before leaving himself.

At the Schnee Family Home, Jacques is scolding Weiss Schnee for her behavior at the charity event. Weiss tells him that she wants to leave Atlas, but is denied. Jacques accuses her of besmirching the Schnee name, and she responds by saying the name being more hers than his, since he only married into it. Jaques proceeds to slap her across the face. After further arguing, Jacques grounds Weiss and declares Whitley Schnee the new heir of the Schnee Dust Company.

Weiss overhears Jacques and Ironwood arguing about his decision to close the borders of Atlas. Ironwood also mentions that Winter Schnee is in Mistral, reporting that a serious threat is brewing and people are mobilizing. Hearing that the conversation is concluded and that Ironwood is on his way out, Weiss uses a Glyph to prevent the door from opening. She escapes through a secret passage in the library when Ironwood and Jacques finally break out of his study.

Quotes
"Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms. "A precautionary measure," as he puts it, "until we're certain nobody is going to declare war". How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me."

- Jacques, talks about James Ironwood.

"Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds, defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them! And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!"

- Jacques, to Weiss Schnee.

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about what you want. This isn't about you! This is about the Schnee family name, and your apparent insistence on dragging it through the mud!"

- Jacques to Weiss, about her desire to leave Atlas.

"You're not leaving Atlas. You're not to leave the manor grounds unless I specifically allow it. You are going to remain here, out of sight and out of trouble, until you and I come to an agreement on your future."

- Jacques grounding Weiss.

"Clearly, the trauma you endured at the fall of Beacon was too much for you. Which is why you've generously revoked your claim to the company and its earnings and passed it on to your brother Whitley."

- Jacques to Weiss, giving the claim he will publicize for why Weiss is no longer heiress.

Trivia

 * His first name is the French equivalent of the name James, which originates from Jacob. This name means "someone who grasps at the heels" or "supplanter", which fits him well given his backstory.
 * His pre-marriage surname, Gelè, means 'frost' or 'frozen' in French.
 * Like the rest of his family, his adopted surname means "snow" in German.
 * A picture of Weiss and her father from "End of the Beginning" was used to promote the Father's Day sales at the Rooster Teeth Store on June 19th, 2016.
 * Weiss' father was originally intended to appear in the Volume 1 Opening. He can be seen as a mysterious figure in the original storyboards featured as extras on the DVD release of Volume 1.
 * In the Japanese dub, Jacques is voiced by Madoka Shiga.