Émile-François Loubet

The son of a peasant proprietor and mayor of Marsanne, Drôme; studied law in Paris; was admitted to the Parisian bar in 1862; returned to Montélimar to open law practice (1865); served as counselor general in Marsanne, Grignan and Montélimar; mayor of Montélimar (1870-1899); elected to Chambre des députés (Chamber of Deputies), where represented the Drôme département (1876-1885); elected (1880) president of the General Council of Drôme; elected to the Sénat (25 Jan 1885 - 24 Feb 1899); served as minister of public works (12 Dec 1887 - 3 Apr 1888), President of the Council of Ministers (27 Feb 1892 - 6 Dec 1892) and minister of the interior (27 Feb 1892 - 11 Jan 1893); resigned the office of President of the Council as a result of the Panama Scandal; served as President of the Sénat (16 Jan 1896 - 21 Feb 1899); following the sudden death of President Félix Faure (16 Feb 1899), was elected President of the Republic (18 Feb 1899); favored settlement of the Dreyfus affair; approved separation of church and state in France (1905); visited foreign leaders, including Nikolay II of Russia, Edward VII of Great Britain, and Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy; smoothed relations with England in April 1904 by signing the Anglo-French entente (Entente Cordiale), which settled their colonial differences. Biography source: [3][4]