Edgar Jean Faure (; 18 August 1908 – 30 March 1988) was a French

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal an ...

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and memoirist who served as Prime Minister of France in 1952 and again between 1955 and 1956.Edgar Faure
. Encyclopædia Britannica Prior to his election to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...

for Jura under the Fourth Republic in 1946, he was a member of the French Committee of National Liberation (CFLN) in Algiers (1943–1944). A Radical, Faure was married to writer Lucie Meyer. In 1978, he was elected to the

Académie Française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Life

Faure was born in

Béziers Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a subprefecture of the Hérault department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hosts the famous ''Feria de Béziers'', which is centred on bullfighting. A million visitors are attra ...

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

at 15, as well as a law degree at 19 in Paris. At 21 years of age he became a member of the bar association, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time. While living in Paris, he became active in Third Republic politics; he joined the Radical Party in 1929. Faure1939 (cropped)

During the German occupation of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he joined the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

in the Maquis. In 1942, he fled to Charles de Gaulle's headquarters in Algiers, where he was made head of the Provisional Government of the Republic's legislative department. At the end of the war, he served as French counsel for the prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials. In 1946, he was elected to the

French Parliament The French Parliament (french: Parlement français) is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate () and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: ...

as a Radical. While the popularity of his party declined to less than 10% of the total vote, none of the other parties was able to gain a clear majority. Therefore, early on, his party often played a disproportionately important role in the formation of governments. He thus led the cabinet in 1952 and from 1955 to 1956. Faure was a leader of the more conservative wing of the party, opposing the party's left, under Pierre Mendès France. Faure's views changed during the Fourth Republic; after initial opposition to the Fifth Republic (he voted against presidential election by universal suffrage in the 1962 referendum), he eventually became a Gaullist. The Gaullist Party, the Union for the New Republic, sent him on an unofficial mission to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...

in 1963. In government he served in successive ministries: Agriculture (1966–1968), National Education (1968–1969, where he was responsible for pushing through reform of the universities) and Social Affairs (1972–1973). He declined to be a candidate at the 1974 presidential election, in which he supported Valéry Giscard d'Estaing against the Gaullist candidate, Jacques Chaban-Delmas. He had the reputation of a careerist and the nickname of "weathercock". He replied with humour, "it is not the weathercock which turns; it is the wind!" He was a member of the

for the Jura department from 1946 to 1958, as well as for the Doubs department from 1967 to 1980. He presided over the National Assembly from 1973 to 1978. He sought another term as President of the Assembly President in 1978 but was defeated by Chaban-Delmas. Faure was a Senator from 1959 to 1967 for Jura and again, in 1980, for Doubs. In 1978, he became a member of the

. On the regional, departmental and local levels, Edgar Faure was Mayor of Port-Lesney, Jura from 1947 to 1971 and again from 1983 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pontarlier between 1971 and 1977; he served as President of the General Council of the Jura department from 1949 to 1967, then member of the General Council of the Doubs from 1967 to 1979, President of the Regional Council of

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

(1974–1981, 1982–1988). He played a key role during the creation and first years of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), becoming his first president in 1985 and staying in that position until 1988. He was buried at the Cimetière de Passy, Paris, where his wife Lucie Meyer was buried following her death in 1977.

Personal life

In 1931, Faure married writer Lucie Meyer, a daughter of a silk merchant. They spent their one-month-long honeymoon in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

.Foreign News: FRANCE'S NEW PREMIER
. ''Time''. 7 March 1955

Political career

Governmental functions *President of the Council (Prime Minister): January–February 1952 / February–December 1955 *Secretary of State for Finance: 1949–1950 *Minister of the Budget: 1950–1951 *Minister of Justice: 1951–1952 *Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs: 1953–1955 *Minister of Foreign Affairs: January–February 1955 *Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Planning: May–June 1958 *Minister of Agriculture: 1966–1968 *Minister of National Education: 1968–1969 *Minister of State, Minister of Social Affairs: 1972–1973 Electoral mandates *President of the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are kno ...

: 1973–1978 *Member of the

for Doubs: Elected in 1967, 1968, but remains a cabinet member / 1973–1980 *Member of the

for Jura: 1946–1958 *Senator for Jura: 1959–1966 (became a cabinet member in 1966) *Senator for Doubs: 1980–1988 (died in 1988) *President of the

Regional Council Regional Council may refer to: * Regional Council (Hong Kong), disbanded in 1999 ** Regional Council (constituency) Regional council may refer to: * Regional council (Cameroon) * Regional council (France), the elected assembly of a region of Fra ...

: 1974–1981 / 1982–1988 (died in 1988) *Mayor of Port-Lesney: 1947–1970 / 1983–1988 (died in 1988) *Mayor of Pontarlier: 1971–1977 *President of the General Council of Jura: 1949–1967 *General councillor of Jura: 1967–1979

Bibliography

He published the following books: *''Le serpent et la tortue'' (les problèmes de la Chine populaire), Juillard, 1957 *''La disgrâce de Turgot'', Gallimard, 1961 *''La capitation de Dioclétien'', Sirey 1961 *''Prévoir le présent'', Gallimard, 1966 *''L'éducation nationale et la participation'', Plon, 1968 *''Philosophie d'une réforme'', Plon, 1969 *''L'âme du combat'', Fayard, 1969 *''Ce que je crois'', Grasset, 1971 *''Pour un nouveau contrat social'', Seuil, 1973 *''Au-delà du dialogue avec Philippe Sollers'', Balland, 1977 *''La banqueroute de Law'', Gallimard, 1977 *''La philosophie de Karl Popper et la société politique d'ouverture'', Firmin Didot, 1981 *''Pascal: le procès des provinciales'', Firmin Didot, 1930 *''Le pétrole dans la paix et dans la guerre'', Nouvelle revue critique 1938 *''Mémoires I, "Avoir toujours raison, c'est un grand tort"'', Plon, 1982 *''Mémoires II, "Si tel doit être mon destin ce soir"'', Plon, 1984 *''Discours prononcé pour la réception de Senghor à l'Académie française'', le 29 mars 1984

Governments

First ministry (20 January – 8 March 1952)

*Edgar Faure – President of the Council and Minister of Finance *

Georges Bidault Georges-Augustin Bidault (; 5 October 189927 January 1983) was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions. He joined the ...

– Vice President of the Council and Minister of National Defense * Henri Queuille – Vice President of the Council * Robert Schuman – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Pierre Pflimlin – Minister for the Council of Europe * Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury – Minister of Armaments * Charles Brune – Minister of the Interior * Robert Buron – Minister of Economic Affairs and Information *

Pierre Courant Pierre Courant (12 September 1897, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime – 22 March 1965, Le Havre) was a French politician. He belonged first to the Independent Republicans (1946–1955) and then to the National Centre of Independents and Peasants The N ...

– Minister of Budget * Jean-Marie Louvel – Minister of Industry and Energy * Paul Bacon – Minister of Labour and Social Security *

Léon Martinaud-Deplat Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

– Minister of Justice *

André Morice André Morice (11 October 1900, Nantes – 17 January 1990) was a French politician. He represented the Radical Party in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1945, in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1946 and in the National Assembly from 1946 ...

– Minister of Merchant Marine * Pierre-Olivier Lapie – Minister of National Education *

Emmanuel Temple Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

– Minister of Veterans and War Victims * Camille Laurens – Minister of Agriculture *

Louis Jacquinot Louis Jacquinot (16 September 1898 – 14 June 1993) was a French lawyer and politician, and chief of Prime Minister Raymond Poincaré's office. Jacquinot was born in Gondrecourt-le-Château (Meuse) in 1898. Entering parliament in 1932, he lat ...

– Minister of Overseas France * Antoine Pinay – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism * Paul Ribeyre – Minister of Public Health and Population * Eugène Claudius-Petit – Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning * Roger Duchet – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones * Édouard Bonnefous – Minister of Commerce *

Jean Letourneau Jean Letourneau (18 September 1907 – 16 March 1986) was a French lawyer and politician. He was a lifelong Christian Democrat. During World War II (1939–45) he was active in the French Resistance. After the war he was a deputy in the national l ...

– Minister of Partner States * Joseph Laniel – Minister of State *

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, ...

– Minister of State

Second ministry (23 February 1955 – 1 February 1956)

*Edgar Faure – President of the Council * Antoine Pinay – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Pierre Koenig – Minister of National Defense and Armed Forces * Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury – Minister of the Interior * Pierre Pflimlin – Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs *

– Minister of Commerce and Industry * Paul Bacon – Minister of Labour and Social Security * Robert Schuman – Minister of Justice *

Paul Antier Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

– Minister of Merchant Marine *

Jean Berthoin Jean Berthoin (January 12, 1895 in Enghien-les-Bains, Val-d'Oise – February 25, 1979 in Paris) was a French politician. As Minister of National Education under Charles de Gaulle, he instituted a policy of compulsory education for all children, ...

– Minister of National Education * Raymond Triboulet – Minister of Veterans and War Victims * Jean Sourbet – Minister of Agriculture * Pierre-Henri Teitgen – Minister of Overseas France * Édouard Corniglion-Molinier – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism * Bernard Lafay – Minister of Public Health and Population * Roger Duchet – Minister of Reconstruction and Housing * Édouard Bonnefous – Minister of Posts *

Pierre July Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

– Minister of Moroccan and Tunisian Affairs Changes *6 October 1955 – Pierre Billotte succeeds Koenig as Minister of National Defense and Armed Forces.

Vincent Badie Vincent Badie (16 July 1902 – 8 September 1989) was a French lawyer and politician. biography Vincent Henri Badie was born in Béziers and practised as a lawyer at Montpellier. He was elected as Radical Party (PRS: ''Parti Radical Socialis ...

succeeds Triboulet as Minister of Veterans and War Victims. *20 October 1955 – Pierre July leaves the Cabinet and the office of Minister of Moroccan and Tunisian Affairs is abolished. *1 December 1955 – Edgar Faure succeeds Bourgès-Maunoury as interim Minister of the Interior.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faure, Edgar 1908 births 1988 deaths People from Béziers Politicians from Occitania (administrative region) Republican-Socialist Party politicians Radical Party (France) politicians Rally of Left Republicans politicians Union of Democrats for the Republic politicians Rally for the Republic politicians Prime Ministers of France French Foreign Ministers French Ministers of Budget French Ministers of Justice French interior ministers French Ministers of National Education French Ministers of Finance French Ministers of Agriculture Presidents of the National Assembly (France) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 5th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 6th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French Senators of the Fifth Republic Senators of Jura (department) Senators of Doubs French memoirists 20th-century French lawyers French male essayists 20th-century French historians 20th-century French essayists 20th-century French male writers French Resistance members French people of the Algerian War Members of the Académie Française Burials at Passy Cemetery 20th-century memoirists