Biography of Gouin, Félix - Archontology
Gouin, Félix

Jean-Félix Gouin

b. 4 Oct 1884, Peypin, Bouches-du-Rhône
d. 25 Oct 1977, Nice

Title: Président du Gouvernement provisoire de la République française (President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic)
Term: 23 Jan 1946 - 19 Jun 1946
Chronology: 23 Jan 1946, elected, session of the Assemblée nationale constituante (Constituent National Assembly), Palais-Bourbon, Paris [1]
12 Jun 1946, collective resignation of the Provisional Government (dated 11 Jun 1946) communicated to the Constituent National Assembly, session of the Assembly, Palais-Bourbon, Paris; acknowledged [2]
19 Jun 1946, ceased to exercise the functions of office upon the election of a successor [3]
Biography:
A lawyer in Marseille, Félix Gouin was elected to the National Assembly as a Socialist deputy in 1924 and was continuously re-elected until 1958. He was one of the 80 deputies, who voted against granting absolute power to Marshal Pétain on 10 Jul 1940. During the hearings against former Socialist premier Léon Blum (1942), Gouin assured his defense in the court. In Algeria, he presided over the Consultative Provisional Assembly (1943 - 1945). Re-elected deputy in Marseille in 1945, he was named President of the first Constituent National Assembly (8 Nov 1945 - 29 Jan 1946). Gouin succeeded Charles de Gaulle as President of the Provisional Government. Gouin served as vice-president of the Council of Ministers (24 Jun 1946 - 12 Dec 1946) in the government of Georges Bidault, state minister in charge of the planning commission the cabinet of Léon Blum (16 Dec 1946 - 22 Jan 1947), state minister and president of the Council for Planning in the Cabinet of Paul Ramadier (23 Jan 1947 - 22 Oct 1947). He opposed the return of de Gaulle and adoption of the Constitution of Fifth Republic and retired from politics.
Biographical sources: Dictionnaire des parlementaires français 1889-1940, 5:1858-1859.
Elections:

Candidate Vote (23 Jan 1946)
votes cast 555
blank/invalid 3
valid votes 552
majority 294
Jean-Félix Gouin 497
Michel-William-Benjamin Clemenceau 35
Jacques-Achille-Octave-Marie Bardoux 17
Charles-André-Joseph-Marie de Gaulle 3
Source of electoral results: JORF - Débats de l'Assemblée nationale constituante, No. 6, 24 Jan 1946, p. 144.

[1] JORF - Débats de l'Assemblée nationale constituante, No. 6, 24 Jan 1946, p. 144.
[2] JORF - Débats de l'Assemblée nationale constituante, No. 60, 12 Jun 1946, p. 2494.
[3] JORF - Débats de l'Assemblée nationale constituante, No. 64, 20 Jun 1946, p. 2549.