Léon Philippe Jules Arthur Noël (28 March 1888 – 6 August 1987) was a French

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

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 ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

Biography

He is the son of Jules Noël, ''conseiller d'Etat'', and Cécile Burchard-Bélaváry. He received a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

in 1912 and then became '' Conseiller d'État''. In 1927 he became ''Délégué Général'' of the High Commissioner of the French Republic in

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

. He became

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is the ...

in 1930,

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

Minister in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

(1932–1935), and then French Ambassador to Poland (1935–1940). He represented the

French Minister of Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the Ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to th ...

in the

Second Armistice at Compiègne The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June. Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel, ...

on 22 June 1940. He was named delegate general in the territories occupied on 9 July 1940. Ten days later he resigned, and he joined

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

in 1943. He is member (1944) next president of

French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

(1958). He was a Member of the French Parliament ( RPF) (1951–1955). He was the first President of the

Constitutional Council of France The Constitutional Council (french: Conseil constitutionnel; ) is the highest constitutional authority in France. It was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958 to ensure that constitutional principles and rules ...

(1959–1965).

Distinctions

*Grand'croix of the

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

*Grand'croix of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

*Krzyż Wielki (Grand cross) of the

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

*Grand'croix of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion ( cs, Řád Bílého lva) is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia had no civilian decoration for its ...

*Knight of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

...

Bibliography

*Léon Noël, ''L'agression allemande contre la Pologne'', Flammarion, 1946. *Collectif, ''In memoriam Léon Noël (1888–1987)'', Bulletin de la Société des Sciences Historiques et Naturelles de l'Yonne, 1987, p. 5-8. *Yves Beauvois, ''Léon Noël, de Laval à de Gaulle, via Pétain'', Presses universitaires du Septentrion, 2001 *Id., « Le Conseil constitutionnel à ses débuts », Commentaire, hiver 2006-2007, p. 943-954

External links

French Parliament website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Leon 1888 births 1987 deaths Politicians from Paris French people of Hungarian descent Rally of the French People politicians Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Members of Parliament for Yonne Members of the Conseil d'État (France) Prefects of Haut-Rhin Ambassadors of France to Poland 20th-century French diplomats 20th-century French lawyers University of Paris alumni Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques