Michel d'Ornano (12 July 1924 – 8 March 1991) was a French politician.
Early life
Count d'Ornano was born in Paris on 12 July 1924. He was a son of Count
Guillaume d'Ornano, a co-founder of
Lancôme in 1935 (which was acquired by
L'Oreal in 1964). His younger brother was Count
Hubert d'Ornano.
He was a descendant of both
Marie Walewska
Marie Walewska, Countess Walewska (; ; 7 December 1786 – 11 December 1817) was a Polish noblewoman in the court of Napoleon I who used her influence to sway the emperor towards the creation of an independent Polish state. In her later years ...
and
Philippe Antoine d'Ornano.
Career
He was a founder of the perfume houses of Jean d'Albret and, with his brother Hubert, Orlane.
Count d'Ornano began his political career as
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
Deauville
Deauville () is a communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados department, Normandy (administrative region), Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its port, harbour, Race track, race course, marinas, con ...
in 1962. He served as president of the General Councils of both
Calvados and
Basse-Normandie before going on to represent the fourth district of Calvados in the
Parliament of France
The French Parliament (, ) is the bicameral parliament of the French Fifth Republic, consisting of the Senate (), and the National Assembly (). Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at separate locations in Paris: the Senate meets in the ...
; in that body he sat first as an
Independent Republican and later with the
Union for French Democracy
The Union for French Democracy ( ; UDF) was a centre-right political party in France. The UDF was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to counterbalance the Gaullist preponderance over ...
. He served in numerous cabinet positions under
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981.
After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
, including as
Secretary of State for Ecology, the
Minister of Culture
A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...
, and
Minister of Industry.
Personal life
In September 1960, D'Ornano was married to
Anne de Contades, a daughter of the
Marquis de Contades of the
Château de Montgeoffroy in Anjou, France, and the Marquise de la Rozière of
San Ángel
San Ángel is a ''Colonia (Mexico), colonia'' (neighborhood) located in the southwest of Mexico City in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Álvaro Obregón borough. Historically it was a rural community called Tenanitla in the pre-Hispanic period. It ...
, Mexico. Her maternal grandmother was the Hon. Mrs. Fanny Lawrence Vernon of
Sudbury Hall,
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
, England.
She was later installed as mayor of Deauville.
They were the parents of Catherine d'Ornano and Jean-Guillaume d'Ornano.
Count d'Ornano died on 8 March 1991 in
Garches
Garches () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department, in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris.
Garches has remained largely residential, with a population of 17,898 ...
after he was struck by a car near his home in the Paris suburb of
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud () is a French commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthie ...
.
After his death, in 1991, she became president of the Regional Council of Calvados.
Legacy
The
Stade Michel d'Ornano in
Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
was named after him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ornano, Michel d'
1924 births
1991 deaths
Politicians from Paris
Politicians of the French Fifth Republic
Ministers of culture of France
French people of Polish descent
Mayors of places in Normandy
People from Deauville
French people of Corsican descent
Ministers of the environment of France
Lycée Carnot alumni
Road incident deaths in France