Albert Marc Chichery (12 October 1888 – 15 August 1944) was a French politician who was briefly Minister of Commerce and Industry, then Minister of Agriculture and Food Supply, in June–July 1940.

Early years

Albert Marc Chichery was born on 12 October 1888 in

Le Blanc Le Blanc (; oc, Lo Blanc; la, Oblincum Cuborum) is a commune and a subprefecture of the department of Indre, and the region of Centre-Val de Loire, central France. Geography Le Blanc is the main city of the Parc naturel régional de la Bre ...

, Indre. He completed his secondary education at the Collège du Blanc, then began working for his parents' business. They ran a butcher's shop in Le Blanc. He was called up for military service, which he completed as an officer of the reserve. In

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 ...

(1914–18) he served with the 135th infantry regiment. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant. After the war he founded a factory that made bicycles, with considerable success. Production rose to 25,000 annually in a factory with 150 employees. His business owned the " Dion-Bouton" brand. His "Dilecta" brand bicycles won all the major road races.

Political career

Chichery was elected to the municipal council, then to the general council of the Indre department. He was elected to the legislature on the second ballot in the general elections of 1–8 May 1932 for Le Blanc constituency. He sat with the Radical Republican and Radical Socialist group. He was reelected on the second ballot in May 1936. He became president of the Radical group in the chamber. He stated, "from the ideological point of view, Radical doctrine best embodies the Cartesian spirit of our country. ... In the words of President Herriot, Radicalism ''is the political applications of rationalism'', that particularly French quality." Chichery was not a strong Radical leader, and mainly served as the instrument of

Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II. Daladier was born in Carpe ...

for managing the deputies. At the time of the

Munich crisis The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

, at the urging of Colonel André Laffargue, Chichery pressed Daladier to appoint

Maxime Weygand Maxime Weygand (; 21 January 1867 – 28 January 1965) was a French military commander in World War I and World War II. Born in Belgium, Weygand was raised in France and educated at the Saint-Cyr military academy in Paris. After graduating in 1 ...

head of the armed forces. During

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(1939–45), when the

Reynaud Paul Reynaud (; 15 October 1878 – 21 September 1966) was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. Reynaud opposed the Munich Agreement o ...

–Daladier cabinet was formed on 22 March 1940, Chichery told Reynaud, "The only thing left for you to do is resign." On 5 June 1940 Chichery was named Minister of Commerce and Industry in the cabinet of Paul Reynaud in place of

Léon Baréty Léon Jean Jacques Baréty (18 October 1883 – 10 February 1971) was a French politician who was briefly Minister of Industry and Commerce in 1940. Early years (1883–1919 Léon Jean Jacques Baréty was born in Nice on 18 October 1883. His f ...

, who had resigned on 18 May 1940. The Reynaud cabinet was dissolved on 16 June 1940, and Chichery was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food Supply in the cabinet of

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

, holding office until 12 July 1940. He succeeded Henri Queuille as Minister of Supplies and Paul Thellier as Minister of Agriculture. He was succeeded by Paul Caziot. At the Congress of Vichy Chichery voted to grant the constitutional powers requested by Pétain, and became a member of the National Council of the

Vichy government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

. During the

liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...

Chichery was abducted from his property near Le Blanc on 15 August 1944 and killed in the nearby woods by a bullet through the neck.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

Early years

Political career

Notes

Sources

Further reading