Émile Fouchard (20 February 1902 – 2 January 1996) was a French politician.
Biography
Born in
Bannay in the
Cher
Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
department, in 1906 he moved with his family to
Chelles in the
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
department. He became a carpenter and joined the Young Socialists in 1918. After the
Tours Congress
The Tours Congress was the 18th National Congress of the French Section of the Workers' International, or SFIO, which took place in Tours on 25–30 December 1920. During the Congress, the majority voted to join the Third International and create ...
of 1920, Fouchard left the Socialists and joined the
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...
.
He first stood in the 1929
municipal elections
In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct var ...
in
Chelles unsuccessfully for the Communists, but in 1935 was elected
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...
of Chelles on a joint Socialist-Communist ticket. In 1936 he was elected to the
French Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies (, ) was the lower house of parliament in France at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries:
* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the Fr ...
to represent the
Meaux
Meaux () is a Communes of France, commune on the river Marne (river), Marne in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France Regions of France, region in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, Franc ...
district.
In September 1939, following the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...
, Fouchard left the Communists. The French Communist Party was banned following this but Fouchard, who had distanced himself from the Party, was not investigated. He asked to be allowed to rejoin the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
and became one of the leading members in the new
Union populaire française. Following France's defeat in the
battle of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
and the
armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...
with
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, Fouchard was one of the
80 members of parliament who voted against granting extraordinary powers to Marshal
Philippe Petain Philippe is a masculine given name, cognate to Philip, and sometimes also a surname. The name may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prin ...
on 10 July 1940.
Fouchard was removed from his post as mayor of Chelles in 1941. He moved to the
Lot department in
Vichy France
Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
where he became involved with the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
in the left-wing, Communist-dominated FTP (''
Francs-Tireurs et Partisans
The ''Francs-tireurs et partisans français'' (, FTPF), or commonly the ''Francs-tireurs et partisans'' (FTP), was an armed resistance organization created by leaders of the French Communist Party during World War II (1939–45). The communist ...
''). Fouchard was arrested by the Vichy government in August 1942 and spent the remainder of the occupation imprisoned, first at
Cahors
Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...
and then at
.
Freed at 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 in ...
in 1944, Fouchard served in the reconstituted
French National Assembly
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
but did not seek election in 1945. He returned to local government politics in 1953, elected on a non-Communist left-wing ticket, but retired for a second and final time from politics in 1959.
He died at
Montfermeil
Montfermeil () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in ...
near
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
aged 94. A memorial to Fouchard exists in the public park in Chelles named after him.
References
* Jolly, Jean (editor), ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français'', Presses universitaires de France
* Maitron, Jean (editor), ''Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français'', editions de l'Atelier, 1997
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fouchard, Emile
1902 births
1996 deaths
People from Cher (department)
French Communist Party politicians
Union populaire française politicians
Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of Parliament for Seine-et-Marne
Members of the Provisional Consultative Assembly
Mayors of places in ÃŽle-de-France
The Vichy 80
Members of the Francs-tireurs et partisans