Maurice Bambier (27 December 1925, Montataire – 2 March 1994,

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other ...

) was a French politician. A steelworker by trade, Bambier was a member of the administrative committee for the General Confederation of Labour of

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

from 1956 to 1963, Federal Secretary for the Communist Party from 1965 to 1983, and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Montataire from 1983 to 1994.

Early years

Born into a working-class family of nine children, Bambier worked from the age of 14 at the

Brissonneau and Lotz Brissonneau et Lotz was a French locomotive engineering company, engaged in the manufacture of railway locomotives and wagons. The company was also a supplier of rolling stock to the Paris Metro, constructing in 1951 the first metro trains in the ...

factory in

Creil Creil is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction. History Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging ...

and the Desnoyers factory in

Laigneville Laigneville (), also Laigneville-sur-Brêche, is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department in northern France. See also * Communes of the Oise department References

Communes of Oise {{Oise-geo-stu ...

, where he remained for 22 years. In 1943 Bambier became a part of the resistance movement when he joined the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France. During this time he enlisted in the army and participated in battles around Dunkirk in 1944 and 1945, for which he was awarded the Croix de guerre.

Political career

After the

liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

Bambier became the head of the General Confederation of Labour for Creil. In 1951 he entered the federal secretariat of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Un ...

(PCF) where he became the first secretary for Oise from 1965 - 1983. Bambier represented the PCF at each general election in the fourth district of Oise from 1956 until his death. From 1953 on Bambier was also the PCF candidate for the Creil mayoral elections, but was systematically beaten by the socialist candidates. In 1977 he became associated with the

Union of the Socialist Left The Union of the Socialist Left (french: Union de la gauche socialiste, UGS) was a French movement of left-wing activists, founded at the end of 1957 by dissidents from the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO); former resistants, u ...

. In 1983 Bambier left the PCF and was elected

of Montataire, a position he held until his death.

Personal life

Bambier was married and a father of five. He died in the hospital in

on 2 March 1994.

Sources

* ''Dictionnaire biographique, mouvement ouvrier, mouvement social. Tome 1, Période 1940-1968 de la Seconde Guerre mondiale à mai 1968, A à Bek'', Paris, Atelier edition, 2006 * Raymond Lavigne, ''Montataire debout depuis les Jacques'', Paris, Messidor, 1990

External links

Hommage à Maurice Bambier
Le Parisien 8 March 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bambier, Maurice 1925 births 1994 deaths Communist members of the French Resistance Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Mayors of places in Hauts-de-France French Army personnel of World War II