Albert Rivière (; 24 April 1891 – 28 June 1953) was a French tailor and moderate socialist politician. He was Minister of Pensions between 1936 and 1940, and was briefly Minister of Colonies in 1940.

Early years

Albert Rivière was born on 24 April 1891 in the village of Le Grand-Bourg,

Creuse Creuse (; or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the east, Cor ...

, son of an artisan shoemaker. His father, Léobon Rivière, was a shoemaker. His mother, François Gallous, was a seamstress. When he was born his parents already had two sons and four daughters, all of whom would later enter trades or shops. He apprenticed with a tailor, then joined the army. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914–18) he was wounded in the face, and part of his jaw had to be replaced. He was awarded the Legion of Honor. On 22 November 1917 Rivière married Jeanne Chadaine, daughter of a cooper. A daughter was born in 1919 and a son in 1925. Rivière became a tailor and draper in Boussac, Creuse, where his brother was a baker. He became a militant in the movement of veterans and disabled from the war, and in the ''Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière'' (SFIO,

French Section of the Workers' International The French Section of the Workers' International (, SFIO) was a major socialist political party in France which was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the present Socialist Party. The SFIO was founded in 1905 as the French representativ ...

). In 1919 he turned down an offer to run as socialist candidate for the legislature. In 1922 he became the first secretary of the SFIO federation of the Creuse after Camille Bénassy. He was on the socialist list in the elections of 1924, with three other veterans, but was not elected.

Deputy

Rivière ran for deputy for Boussac in the legislative elections of 1928 and was elected in the second round on 29 April 1928 by 7,086 votes out of 13,791. In the Chamber of Deputies he was a member of the committees on Commerce & Industry and on Civil & Military Pensions, and was particularly active in the latter. He was reelected on 1 May 1932 by 9,130 votes out of 14,070. He was a member of committees on the Army, Pensions, Regulation and Foreign Affairs, and was on the Commission of Inquiry into the

6 February 1934 crisis The 6 February 1934 crisis (also known as the Veterans' Riot) was an anti-parliamentarist street demonstration in Paris, organized by multiple far-right leagues that culminated in a riot on the Place de la Concorde, near the building used for t ...

. He was active in debates on military spending, and explained the Socialist policy on national defense. Rivière was reelected on 26 April 1936 by 7,505 votes out of 18,835, and held office until 31 May 1942. He was appointed Minister of Pensions in the Popular Front government formed on 4 June 1936, in the 2nd cabinet of

Camille Chautemps Camille Chautemps (; 1 February 1885 – 1 July 1963) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). He was the father-in-law of U.S. politician and statesman Howar ...

(22 June 1937 – 14 June 1938) and the 2nd cabinet of

Léon Blum André Léon Blum (; 9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French socialist politician and three-time Prime Minister of France. As a Jew, he was heavily influenced by the Dreyfus affair of the late 19th century. He was a disciple of socialist l ...

(formed 13 March 1938). He held this post in all the cabinets apart from the 4th cabinet of Camille Chautemps (18 January – 10 March 1938) and the 3rd cabinet of

Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical Party (France), Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, who was the Prime Minister of France in 1933, 1934 and again from 1938 to 1940. he signed the Munich Agreeme ...

(10 April 1938 – 20 March 1940).

World War II and later

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1939–45), on 21 March 1940 Rivière was named minister of Veterans and Pensioners in the cabinet of

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

. After the German invasion of France and collapse of the French defense, Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

offered Rivière a position in his cabinet on 16 June 1940. Rivière consulted with Léon Blum before turning the offer down on the basis that he did not want to join a government that was planning to sign an armistice. After further discussions he accepted so the socialists would be represented in the cabinet. On 16 June 1940 he joined Pétain's cabinet as Minister of Colonies. On 10 July 1940, he voted in favour of granting the cabinet presided by Marchal

authority to draw up a new constitution, thereby effectively ending the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

and establishing

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, ...

. Riviere was later removed from his position in the veterans' associations by the

Vichy government 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 defeat against ...

. He assisted with the escape of André Blumel from the Evaux detention center. He hosted Robert Lazurick, a former deputy for

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 ...

of Jewish origin, founder of the clandestine journal ''

L'Aurore ; ) was a literary, liberal, and socialist newspaper published in Paris, France, from 1897 to 1914. Its most famous headline was Émile Zola's ''J'accuse...!'' leading into his article on the Dreyfus Affair. The newspaper was published by Geo ...

''. He hid two Canadian aviators and helped them find their way back to England, for which he received the Military Cross. After the war the Supreme Court dismissed charges against him for involvement with the Vichy government. He contributed to ''L'Aurore'' for most of the remainder of his life. Albert Rivière died on 28 June 1953 in Boussac, Creuse.

Notes

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Riviere, Albert 1891 births 1953 deaths People from Creuse French Section of the Workers' International politicians Ministers of pensions of France Ministers of veterans affairs of France 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 Members of Parliament for Creuse French military personnel of World War I