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 Howard J. Samuels.

Early life

Born into a family of Radical politicians, Camille Chautemps was a lawyer by training and a noted amateur rugby-player in his youth, playing for Tours Rugby and Stade Français. He was inducted into the Grand Orient of France (1906, master 1908), quitting the Freemasons in August 1940 as anti-masonic regulation was adopted by Pétain.

Early career

He entered local politics in the fiefdom of his parliamentarian uncle, Alphonse Chautemps, and followed a political career path typical of many Radical-Socialists: first elected town councillor for Tours (1912), then mayor (1919–25), parliamentary deputy (1919–34) and senator (1934–40). Chautemps was considered one of the chief figures of the 'right' (anti-socialist and pro-liberal) wing of the centre-left Radical-Socialist Party. Between 1924 and 1926, he served in the centre-left

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

s of Édouard Herriot, Paul Painlevé and Aristide Briand.

Twice prime minister

Renowned as a skilful negotiator with friends from across the party divide, he was called upon on several occasions to attempt to build support for a coalition of the centre-left. He first became President of the Council for a short-lived government in 1930. After the electoral victory of the left in 1934, he served as

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

and became head of government once more in November 1933. The revelations of the Stavisky Affair, a corruption scandal, tarnished two of his ministers, sparking violent protests by the far-right leagues. He resigned his posts on 27 January 1934, when the opposition press attributed Stavisky's suicide to a government cover-up.

Deputy Prime minister and last premiership

In Léon Blum's Popular Front government of 1936, Chautemps represented the Radical-Socialist Party as a Minister of State and succeeded Blum at the head of the government from June 1937 to March 1938. The franc was devalued, but government finances remained in difficulty. Pursuing the program of the Popular Front, he proceeded in the nationalisation of the railroads to create the

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

. However, in January 1938, he formed a new government consisting solely of ministers from the nonsocialist republican centre- left. In February, he granted married women financial and legal independence (until then, wives had been dependent on their husbands to take action involving family finances) and allowed them to go to university and to open bank accounts. His government also repealed Article 213 of the code: "the husband owes protection to his wife, the wife obedience to the husband". However, the husband remained "head of the household" with "the right to choose the household’s place of residence". His government fell on 10 March.

Runup to World War II

Chautemps subsequently served from April 1938 to May 1940 as Deputy Prime Minister in the governments of Édouard Daladier and Paul Reynaud. After the latter resigned, as he was again deputy prime minister, now to 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 ...

World War II

France declared war on Germany in September 1939, and in May 1940, the German Army invaded and swept aside all opposition. With the fall of Dunkirk on 5 June and the defeat of the French Army imminent, Chautemps, dined with Paul Baudouin on the 8th, and declared that the war must be ended and that Pétain saw his position most clearly. On the 11th, during a Cabinet meeting, Chautemps suggested for Churchill to be invited back to France to discuss the hopeless situation; he attended a conference at Tours on 13 June. The Cabinet met again on the 15th and was almost evenly split on the question of an armistice with Germany. Chautemps now suggested that to break the deadlock, that they should get a neutral authority to enquire what the German terms would be, which if honourable, the Cabinet could agree to study. If not, the Cabinet would agree to fight on. The Chautemps proposal passed by 13 to 6. On 16 June,

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

, now in London, telephoned Reynaud to give him the British government's offer of joint nationality for French and British in a Franco-British union. A delighted Reynaud put it to a stormy Cabinet meeting and was supported by five of his ministers. Most of the others were persuaded against him by the arguments of Pétain, Chautemps and Jean Ybarnégaray, the last two seeing the offer as a device to make France subservient to Britain as an extra dominion. Georges Mandel, who had a Jewish background, was flinging accusations of cowardice around the room, and Chautemps and others replied in kind. Reynaud clearly would not accept Chautemps's proposal and later resigned.

Later life

On 10 July 1940, Chautemps voted as a Senator in favour of granting the cabinet presided by Marshal

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, ...

. However, Chautemps broke with Pétain's government after he had arrived in the United States on an official mission and lived there for much of the rest of his life. After

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 ...

, a French court convicted him ''in absentia'' for collaborating with the enemy;Encyclopædia Britannica
/ref> he was amnestied in 1954. After his death in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, he was laid to rest in the Rock Creek Cemetery.

Chautemps's First Ministry, 21 February – 2 March 1930

*Camille Chautemps ( Radical) – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior * Aristide Briand ( PRS) – Minister of Foreign Affairs * René Besnard ( Radical) – Minister of War * Charles Dumont ( AD) – Minister of Finance * Maurice Palmade ( Radical) – Minister of Budget * Louis Loucheur ( RI) – Minister of Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions * Théodore Steeg ( Radical) – Minister of Justice * Albert Sarraut ( Radical) – Minister of Marine * Charles Daniélou ( RI) – Minister of Merchant Marine * Laurent Eynac ( RI) – Minister of Air * Jean Durand ( Radical) – Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts * Claudius Gallet – Minister of Pensions * Henri Queuille ( Radical) – Minister of Agriculture * Lucien Lamoureux ( Radical) – Minister of Colonies * Édouard Daladier ( Radical) – Minister of Public Works * Julien Durand ( Radical) – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones * Georges Bonnet ( Radical) – Minister of Commerce and Industry

Chautemps's Second Ministry, 26 November 1933 – 30 January 1934

*Camille Chautemps – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior – Radical Socialist Party * Joseph Paul-Boncour – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Édouard Daladier – Minister of War * Georges Bonnet – Minister of Finance * Paul Marchandeau – Minister of Budget * Lucien Lamoureux – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions * Eugène Raynaldy – Minister of Justice * Albert Sarraut – Minister of Marine * Eugène Frot – Minister of Merchant Marine * Pierre Cot – Minister of Air * Anatole de Monzie – Minister of National Education * Hippolyte Ducos – Minister of Pensions * Henri Queuille – Minister of Agriculture * Albert Dalimier – Minister of Colonies * Joseph Paganon – Minister of Public Works * Alexandre Israël – Minister of Public Health * Jean Mistler – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones * Laurent Eynac – Minister of Commerce and Industry Changes *9 January 1934 – Lucien Lamoureux succeeds Dalimier as Minister of Colonies. Eugène Frot succeeds Lamoureux as Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions. William Bertrand succeeds Frot as Minister of Merchant Marine.

Chautemps's Third Ministry, 22 June 1937 – 18 January 1938

*Camille Chautemps – President of the Council – Radical Socialist Party * Léon Blum – Vice President of the Council –

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 ...

(SFIO) * Yvon Delbos – Minister of Foreign Affairs – Radical Socialist Party * Édouard Daladier – Minister of National Defense and War – Radical Socialist Party * Marx Dormoy – Minister of the Interior – SFIO * Georges Bonnet – Minister of Finance – Radical Socialist Party * André Février – Minister of Labour – SFIO * Vincent Auriol – Minister of Justice – SFIO * César Campinchi – Minister of Marine – Radical Socialist Party * Pierre Cot – Minister of Air – Radical Socialist Party * Jean Zay – Minister of National Education – Radical Socialist Party * Albert Rivière – Minister of Pensions – SFIO * Georges Monnet – Minister of Agriculture – Radical Socialist Party * Marius Moutet – Minister of Colonies – SFIO * Henri Queuille – Minister of Public Works – Radical Socialist Party * Marc Rucart – Minister of Public Health – Radical Socialist Party * Jean-Baptiste Lebas – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones – SFIO * Fernand Chapsal – Minister of Commerce * Paul Faure – Minister of State – SFIO * Maurice Viollette – Minister of State – usr * Albert Sarraut – Minister of State – Radical Socialist Party * Léo Lagrange – Under-Secretary of State for the Sports, the Leisure activities and the Physical Education -i.e. acting like Minister for the Sports- – SFIO

Chautemps's Fourth Ministry, 18 January – 13 March 1938

*Camille Chautemps – President of the Council – Radical Socialist Party * Édouard Daladier – Vice President of the Council and Minister of National Defense and War * Yvon Delbos – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Albert Sarraut – Minister of the Interior * Paul Marchandeau – Minister of Finance * Paul Ramadier – Minister of Labour * César Campinchi – Minister of Justice * William Bertrand – Minister of Military Marine * Paul Elbel – Minister of Merchant Marine * Guy La Chambre – Minister of Air * Jean Zay – Minister of National Education * Robert Lassalle – Minister of Pensions * Fernand Chapsal – Minister of Agriculture * Théodore Steeg – Minister of Colonies * Henri Queuille – Minister of Public Works * Marc Rucart – Minister of Public Health * Fernand Gentin – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones * Pierre Cot – Minister of Commerce * Georges Bonnet – Minister of State * Ludovic-Oscar Frossard – Minister of State in charge of the Services of the Presidency of the Council

References

External links

Camille Chautemps papers
20 feet housed at Stanford University Libraries * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chautemps, Camille 1885 births 1963 deaths Politicians from Paris Radical Party (France) politicians Prime ministers of France Deputy prime ministers of France Ministers of transport of France French interior ministers Government ministers of France Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic 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 Parliament for Indre-et-Loire Members of Parliament for Loir-et-Cher French senators of the Third Republic Senators of Loir-et-Cher Mayors of Tours French Freemasons