Suzanne Girault (28 July 1882 – 20 September 1973) was a Swiss-born French politician. From 1923 to 1925, with , she was one of the main leaders 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 ...

. She served in the French Senate from 1946 to 1958 as a member of the Communist Party. She was born Suzanne Depollier in

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds () is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city l ...

. She was officially the daughter of François Dépollier and Louise Tissot-Daguerre, but her biological father, who also would raise her, was , a Swiss watchmaker and anarchist. She left Switzerland for

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in the winter of 1899. She worked as a teacher there. She subsequently married a Russian Nicolas Frenkel and settled in Odessa; the couple had two children. At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the family moved to Kiev. During the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

, she worked with the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

party without actually becoming a member. She joined the French Communist Group in Moscow and worked as a translator for the

Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by ...

. She also was personal secretary for

Angelica Balabanoff , image = Brodskiy II Balabanova.jpg , birth_name = Anzhelika Isaakovna Balabanova , birth_date = August 4, 1878 , birth_place = Chernihiv, Ukraine , death_date = , death_place = Rome, Ital ...

. In the early 1920s, she was sent to France. She became a leader of the Seine Federation of the French Communist Party, serving until she was removed by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

in 1926. She remained head of the Women's Commission. From 1946 to 1958, she was senator for the Seine department. She did not run for reelection in 1958. In 1967, she was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

by the Soviet government. Girault died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

at the age of 91.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girault, Suzanne 1882 births 1973 deaths French Communist Party politicians Senators of Seine (department) French senators of the Fourth Republic Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner People from La Chaux-de-Fonds Swiss emigrants to France