Bernadette Chirac
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Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac ( Chodron de Courcel; born 18 May 1933) is a French politician and the widow of the former president Jacques Chirac. She and Chirac met as students at Sciences Po, and were married on 16 March 1956. They had three children: Laurence (born 4 March 1958, deceased 14 April 2016) and
Claude Chirac Claude Chirac, (born 6 December 1962) is the youngest daughter of French president Jacques Chirac and was her father's personal advisor from 1994 until his death in 2019. Biography Chirac is the director of communication at PRTP.PA which is ...
(born 6 December 1962), and a Vietnamese foster-daughter, Anh Đào Traxel. Since 2001, Bernadette has been the patron of Opération Pièces Jaunes, a charity that helps children in French hospitals by collecting small donations. On 3 September 2007, she became the president of the "Fondation Claude-Pompidou" (Claude Pompidou Foundation), following the death
Claude Pompidou Claude Jacqueline Pompidou (née Cahour; 13 November 1912 – 3 July 2007) was the wife of President of France Georges Pompidou. She was a philanthropist and a patron of modern art, especially through the Centre Georges Pompidou. Life before ...
, a former First Lady of France. She was involved in her husband's successful 1995 presidential campaign and her personal popularity saw her play an important role as First Lady in her husband's reelection in 2002. She was also a councillor in
Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...
, the couple's home ''département''.


Biography


Early life and education

Born in Paris on 18 May 1933, Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chodron de Courcel was the daughter of Jean-Louis Chodron de Courcel (1907–1985), sales director of
Emaux de Briare Emaux de Briare is a French company specializing today in mosaics. Whilst the manufactory in Briare originally started with earthenware pottery, the factory founded in Paris by Jean-Félix Bapterosses (1813–1885) initially began manufacturing ...
Inc., and Marguerite de Brondeau d'Urtières (1910–2000). She was the oldest of three children: her sister Catherine was born in 1946 and her brother Jérôme in 1948. Her family were devout Catholics and she received a strict upbringing from her mother. Her father was called up in 1939 and imprisoned in Germany until the end of the Second World War. In June 1940, she and her mother fled to
Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Agen The commune of Agen (, ; ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. Geography The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department ...
. From 1941 to 1943, after the occupation of the ''zone libre'', they fled again to
Gien Gien () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought for the royal domain by Philip II of Fran ...
in the
Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.< ...
. There she attended Sainte-Marie-des-Fleurs-et-des-Fruits school until the return of her father in 1945. The family settled in the sixth arrondissement of Paris. She went to the
Paris Institute of Political Studies , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...
in 1950 where she met and married her future husband. Like most women at the time, upon marrying, she did not take her degree.


Political career

* 1971: Elected to the municipal council of Sarran (Department of
Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...
). * 1977: Aide to the mayor of Sarran. * 1979: Elected to the Departmental council of
Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region ...
and subsequently re-elected in March 1985, March 1992, March 1998, March 2004, March 2011 and again September 2011. * 1990: Founder and president of the "Association le Pont Neuf" designed to promote exchanges between young French people and young people from Asia. * 1991: President of an International Dance Festival. * 1994: President of the "Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France", a charitable foundation aiming to improve the day-to-day lives of the children and the elderly who have been hospitalised. She was also patron of Opération Pièces Jaunes, an annual fundraising campaign to improve conditions in children's hospitals. Bernadette Chirac appeared in public for the last time in summer 2018, and she was no longer seen publicly at her husband's funeral service in 2019.


Books

In 2001, Bernadette participated in a series of transcribed interviews with the conservative journalist,
Patrick de Carolis Patrick de Carolis (born 19 November 1953) is a French TV journalist and writer. He has been president of French public service broadcaster France Télévisions from July 2005 to August 2010. Biography Journalistic career President of Fr ...
. The book was called ''Conversation'' and was a bestseller, selling 350,000 copies in its first year of publication.


Genealogy


Immediate family

* Father: Jean Chodron de Courcel (1907–1985), sales director. Studied at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
followed by Cambridge University. * Mother: Marguerite–Marie de Brondeau d'Urtières (1910–2000) * Paternal grandfather: Robert Chodron de Courcel, diplomat and landowner. * Paternal great grandfather: George Chodron de Courcel (1840–1904), naval officer.


Nobility of Bernadette Chirac

Bernadette Chirac was born into an old aristocratic family of public servants, from the Trois-Évêchés. Her family includes military officers, goldsmiths, lawyers, diplomats and industrialists. They would become owners through marriages of factories in
Gien Gien () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought for the royal domain by Philip II of Fran ...
and Briare, in the
Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.< ...
, which were famed for their
porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...
and enamel mosaics. Like many old French families, Bernadette Chirac has several European royal families among her ancestors. In 1852, a decree by Napoleon III authorized the addition of Courcel, one of the family's properties, to their name. In 1867, Napoleon III made Alphonse Chodron de Courcel a hereditary baron for services rendered to the State.


Honours

* Knight of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
()


Bibliography

* 2001: ''Bernadette Chirac'' by Bertrand Meyer-Stabley (Perrin Edition) * 2006: ''La Fille de Cœur'' by Anh Đào Traxel (Flammarion Editions) (a biography of the Chirac family by their foster daughter). * 2001: ''Conversation'' by Bernadette Chirac, with
Patrick de Carolis Patrick de Carolis (born 19 November 1953) is a French TV journalist and writer. He has been president of French public service broadcaster France Télévisions from July 2005 to August 2010. Biography Journalistic career President of Fr ...
, (Plon Editions)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chirac, Bernadette 1933 births 20th-century French politicians 20th-century French women Directors of LVMH French nobility Jacques Chirac Living people Politicians from Paris Politicians of the French Fifth Republic Sciences Po alumni Spouses of French presidents Spouses of prime ministers of France Union for a Popular Movement politicians