Jean Mistler (1 September 1897 – 11 November 1988) was a French writer, diplomat and politician born in

Sorèze Sorèze (; oc, Sorese ca, Sorese) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. See also * Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list of the 314 communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential comm ...

, Tarn. In 1966 he was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

. Mistler, whose father's family had left Alsace in 1871, did his schooling in Sorèze, before preparing for the entrance examination of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure at the

Lycée Henri IV In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children betwee ...

, where he read philosophy under Alain. Mistler was drafted into the artillery in 1915 and emerged from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

a staunch pacifist. He was accepted at the École normale in 1919 and came in first in the national Aggrégation exam in German the following year. Instead of becoming a teacher in France, Mistler applied for a position abroad through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He was sent to the French legation in Hungary, becoming a cultural attaché, and teaching at the university of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

. In 1925 he was accepted into the Quai d'Orsay (Service des Oeuvres), where he succeeded

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was mu ...

. He started a political career in 1928 when he was elected deputé of Aude under the

Radical-Socialist The Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party (french: Parti républicain, radical et radical-socialiste) is a liberal and formerly social-liberal political party in France. It is also often referred to simply as the Radical Party (frenc ...

label. He received the appointment of under-secretary in charge of the Arts and served as a minister several times, starting in 1932. In 1934, he joined the government of

Albert Sarraut Albert-Pierre Sarraut (; 28 July 1872 – 26 November 1962) was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic. Biography Sarraut was born on 28 July 1872 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. On 14 March 1907 Sarraut, ...

, as Minister overseeing the postal service and telecommunications. A music lover, he founded the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française (the ancestor of today's

Orchestre National de France The Orchestre national de France (ONF; literal translation, ''National Orchestra of France'') is a French symphony orchestra based in Paris, founded in 1934. Placed under the administration of the French national radio (named Radio France sinc ...

). From 1936, he chaired the Foreign Affairs Commission. In parallel with his political activities, Mistler had begun a career as a writer, with the publication of ''Châteaux en Bavière'' (1925) and ''Ethelka'' (1929). On 10 July 1940, in his role as the chair of the voting commission, Mistler introduced before the Parliament the bill that conferred the full powers to Marshal

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 ...

(with the ultimate objective of preparing a new constitution). This led critics to accuse him, after the war, of having been the "sinker of the Republic." After working for the Éditions du Rocher, Mistler became first the general secretary then the president of the Maison du Livre Français (affiliated with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs). Finally, from 1964 to 1969, he became director of the general literature department at Librairie Hachette. During these years, Mistler also regularly penned literary and musical criticism for ''L'Aurore''. On 2 June 1966 Mistler was elected to the Académie française, replacing

Robert d'Harcourt Robert d'Harcourt (23 November 1881 – 18 June 1965) was a French Catholic intellectual, scholar of German culture and anti-Nazi polemicist. Early years A member of the aristocratic Norman House of Harcourt, d'Harcourt was born at Lumigny-N ...

. Mistler died on 11 November 1988 in Paris and was buried in the vault of the d'Auriol family, in Sorèze.

Famous relations

References

*Ithier de Fougerolle, ''Jean Mistler'' in the Dictionnaire des ministres de 1789 à 1989, edited by Benoît Yvert, Paris, Perrin, 1990 * Biography of Jean Mistler on the Académie française Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mistler, Jean 1897 births 1988 deaths People from Tarn (department) Politicians from Occitania (administrative region) Radical Party (France) politicians French Ministers of Commerce and Industry French Ministers of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 15th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic 20th-century French non-fiction writers 20th-century French male writers Lycée Henri-IV alumni École Normale Supérieure alumni Members of the Académie Française