Biography of Pleven, René - Archontology
Pleven, René

René Pleven

b. 15 Apr 1901, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine
d. 13 Jan 1993, Paris

Title: Président du Conseil des ministres (President of the Council of Ministers)
Term: 12 Jul 1950 - 10 Mar 1951
Chronology: 11 Jul 1950, endorsed by the vote of investiture, session of the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), Palais-Bourbon, Paris [1]
12 Jul 1950, appointed on the list of members of the Council of Ministers, decree of the President of the Republic [2]
10 Mar 1951, ceased to exercise the functions of office upon the appointment of a successor [3]
Term: 11 Aug 1951 - 20 Jan 1952
Chronology: 8 Aug 1951, endorsed by the vote of investiture, session of the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), Palais-Bourbon, Paris [4]
11 Aug 1951, appointed on the list of members of the Council of Ministers, decree of the President of the Republic [5]
20 Jan 1952, ceased to exercise the functions of office upon the appointment of a successor [6]
Biography:
Son of Jules Pleven, army officer, who taught at the Military Academy of Saint-Cyr (École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr); attended public schools at Rennes (until 1911) and Laval (1912-1917); graduated from the faculty of law in Paris (1920); received doctor's degree (1924) and diploma from the Free School of Political Science (École libre des Sciences politiques); editor-in-chief of the Conserverie française (1924-1925); worked for the Blair and Co. Foreign Corp (1926-1929), Paris branch of the U.S. investment company; held executive positions in the European branch of the Automatic Telephone Company (1929-1939) in London; was mobilized (1939) and served in the Air Force; engaged in weapon procurement activities in the U.S.; joined Charles de Gaulle and was made secretary general for the French Equatorial Africa (1940-1941) at Brazzaville, Congo; director of the department for external and economic affairs (1941); was appointed national commissioner for economy, finance and colonies (24 Sep 1941 - 18 Oct 1942) in the French National Committee of the Fighting France (Comité national français de la France combattante); after the reorganisation of the Committee, he served as national commissioner for economy, colonies and merchant navy (28 Jul 1942 - 17 Oct 1942); was appointed national commissioner for foreign affairs and colonies (17 Oct 1942 - 5 Feb 1943); following another reorganisation, served as national commissioner for colonies (5 Feb 1943 - 7 Jun 1943); approved as a member of the French Committee of National Liberation (Comité français de la Libération nationale) (7 Jun 1943 - 3 Jun 1944); commissioner for colonies (7 Jun 1943 - 4 Sep 1944); minister of colonies in the first Provisional Government (4 Sep 1944 - 14 Nov 1944), minister of finance (14 Nov 1944 - 26 Jan 1946); minister of national economy (5 Apr 1945 - 21 Nov 1945); elected a member of the first (1945-1946) and second (1946) Assemblée nationale constituante (Constituent National Assembly), representing Côtes-du-Nord; general councilor for Dinan-Est (1945-1976); was elected to the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly) as a deputy for Côtes-du-Nord (1946-1973); in 1946-1953 president of the Union Démocratique et Socialiste de la Résistance (Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance, UDSR), a centrist political party; president of the General Council of Côtes-du-Nord (1948-1976); minister of national defense (28 Oct 1949 - 12 Jul 1950, 8 Mar 1952 - 8 Jan 1953); sponsored the unsuccessful Pleven Plan (1950) for a unified European army, which laid the groundwork for NATO; President of the Council of Ministers (12 Jul 1950 - 10 Mar 1951, 11 Aug 1951 - 20 Jan 1952); Vice-President of the Council of Ministers (10 Mar 1951 - 11 Aug 1951); minister of national defense and armed forces (8 Jan 1953 - 19 Jun 1954); delegate of France to the Common Assembly (1956-1958), European Parliamentary Assembly (1958-1962) and European Parliament (1962-1969); minister of foreign affairs (14 May 1958 - 1 Jun 1958); minister of justice (22 Jun 1969 - 15 Mar 1973).
Biographical sources: "René Pleven: un Français libre en politique", by Christian Bougeard (Rennes: Presses Universitaires de Rennes, 1995).
Elections:

Vote of investiture (11 Jul 1950)
votes cast 558
constitutional majority 311
in favour 373
against 185

Vote of investiture (8 Aug 1951)
votes cast 493
constitutional majority 314
in favour 391
against 102
Source of electoral results: Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 81. Mercredi 12 Juillet 1950. P. 5397-5398; Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 104. Jeudi 9 Août 1951. P. 6280-6281.

[1] Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 81. Mercredi 12 Juillet 1950. P. 5368-5383.
[2] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 166. Jeudi 20 Juillet 1950. P. 7563.
[3] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 61. Dimanche 11 Mars 1951. P. 2642.
[4] Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 104. Jeudi 9 Août 1951. P. 6252-6275.
[5] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 188. Samedi 11 Août 1951. P. 8747.
[6] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 18. Lundi 21 Janvier 1952. P. 915.