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LEBRUN, Albert-François

Albert-François Lebrun

b. 29 Aug 1871, Mercy-le-Haut, Meurthe-et-Moselle
d. 6 Mar 1950, Paris

Title: Président de la République française (President of the French Republic) [see note]
Term: 10 May 1932 - 10 May 1939
Chronology: 10 May 1932, elected by the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), salle des séances de la Chambre des députés, Palais de Versailles; immediately following the election installed as president, installation ceremony, Palais de Versailles
10 May 1939, expiration of term
Term: 10 May 1939 - 11 Jul 1940
Chronology: 5 Apr 1939, elected by the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), salle des séances de la Chambre des députés, Palais de Versailles
10 May 1939, installed as president, installation ceremony, Palais de l'Elysée, Paris
11 Jul 1940, ceased to exercise the functions of head of state with the promulgation of the Constitutional Law No. 1
Biography:

Born in the family of a mayor of Mercy-le-Haut, Meurthe-et-Moselle; was educated at a lyceum in Nancy; received degrees from the Ecole polytechnique (1890) and Ecole des mines (1896); served in the army (1892-1893); worked as mining engineer (1896-1901); general counselor for Audun-le-Roman (from 1898); president of the General Council of Meurthe-et-Moselle (1906-1932); elected to the Chambre des députés [Chamber of Deputies] (1900-1920); minister for colonies (27 Jun 1911 - 12 Jan 1913, 9 Dec 1913 - 9 Jun 1914); vice president of the Chamber of Deputies (1913); minister of war (12 Jan 1913 - 21 Jan 1913); served as artillery officer during World War I (1914-1915); minister for blockade (23 Nov 1917 - 24 Dec 1918); minister for the liberated regions (23 Nov 1917 - 6 Nov 1919); elected senator from Meurthe-et-Moselle (1920-1932); vice president (1925-1931) and president (11 Jun 1931 - 10 May 1932) of the Sénat; moderate conservative, was elected President of the Republic (10 May 1932); rarely exerted political influence on cabinet appointments or policy; reelected (5 Apr 1939); complied with the cabinet's decisions (June 1940) that led to the armistice with Germany; acquiesced in the constitutional revisions at Vichy through which Marshal Philippe Pétain took over as head of state; retired to Vizille near Grenoble; interned by the Germans at Itter in Tirol (1943-1944); acknowledged General Charles de Gaulle as head of the provisional government. Biography source: [1]

Elections:

Candidate Vote (10 May 1932)
Albert-François Lebrun 633
Paul Faure 114
Paul Painlevé 12
Gilles-Marcel Cachin 8
scattered 10
blank/invalid 49
total votes cast 826
absolute majority 389

Candidate Vote (5 Apr 1939)
Albert-François Lebrun 506
Albert Bedouce 151
Gilles-Marcel Cachin 74
Édouard-Marie Herriot 53
François-Pierre-Marie-Justin Godart 50
Fernand-Émile-Honoré Bouisson 16
François-Sampiero-Sébastien-Marie-Jourdan Piétri 10
scattered 44
blank/invalid 6
total votes cast 910
absolute majority 453

[1] "Histoire des présidents de la République: de Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte à Vincent Auriol", by Adrien Dansette (Paris: Amiot-Dumont, 1953).

This page was last updated on: 26 Jun 2009 03:30:07

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