Alain Poher | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Poher in the 1980s | |
| ActingPresident of France | |
| In office 2 April 1974 – 27 May 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Pierre Messmer |
| Preceded by | Georges Pompidou |
| Succeeded by | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
| In office 28 April 1969 – 20 June 1969 | |
| Prime Minister | Maurice Couve de Murville |
| Preceded by | Charles de Gaulle |
| Succeeded by | Georges Pompidou |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 3 October 1968 – 1 October 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Gaston Monnerville |
| Succeeded by | René Monory |
| 7th President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 7 March 1966 – 11 March 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Victor Leemans |
| Succeeded by | Mario Scelba |
| Senator | |
| In office 18 May 1952 – 1 October 1995 | |
| Constituency | Seine-et-Oise (1952–1968) Val-de-Marne (1968–1995) |
| In office 8 December 1946 – 7 November 1948 | |
| Constituency | Seine-et-Oise |
| Mayor ofAblon-sur-Seine | |
| In office 18 May 1945 – March 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Édouard Désiré Juvigny |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Pierre Hermellin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (1909-04-17)17 April 1909 |
| Died | 9 December 1996(1996-12-09) (aged 87) |
| Political party | Popular Republican Movement(1946–1966) Democratic Centre(1966–1976) Centre of Social Democrats(1976–1995) Democratic Force(1995–1996) |
| Other political affiliations | Union for French Democracy(1978–1996) |
| Spouse | Henriette Tugler |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Mines ParisTech Sciences Po |
| Occupation | Engineer,civil servant |
| Signature |  |
Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (French:[alɛ̃pɔɛʁ]; 17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996) was a French politician who served asPresident of the Senate from 1968 to 1992. In this capacity, he was twice briefly actingPresident of France, in 1969 and 1974 following the resignation ofCharles de Gaulle and the death ofGeorges Pompidou, respectively. Poher was affiliated with thePopular Republican Movement (MRP) until 1966 and later with theDemocratic Centre (CD) andCentre of Social Democrats (CSD), which he joined in 1976.
A native ofAblon-sur-Seine south ofParis, Poher was a longtime member of theSenate (1946–1948; 1952–1995), where he sat first forSeine-et-Oise until 1968 and thenVal-de-Marne. He also served asPresident of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969. As the longest-serving President of the Senate and the sole unelected President of France under theFifth Republic, Poher remained an influential figure in 20th-century French politics. He ran in the1969 presidential election but was defeated by Pompidou in the second round.
Poher died at the age of 87 in 1996, a year after his retirement from the Senate.[1]
Poher was born inAblon-sur-Seine, current-day Val-de-Marne, to a family fromBrittany.[2]
He graduated from theLycée Louis-le-Grand and theLycée Saint-Louis inParis and later studied law. On 19 August 1938 he married Henriette Tugler (1907–2004) inLa Baule-Escoublac, with whom he had two daughters, Marie-Agnès (born 1940) and Marie-Thérèse (1944–2002).[2]
His administrative career began in 1938 when he became a junior executive officer at the Ministry of Finance.[2] InWorld War II, he was wounded in combat after being sent to the front lines to defend against theGerman invasion. Later, he became a member of theFrench Resistance againstNazi Germany.[3]
In the aftermath of theLiberation of France, he served in several political positions prior to entering the Senate: chairman at the Ministry of Finance's Liberation Committee (from 20 July 1944);[2] head of Social Services, Ministry of Finance (from 1 January 1945);[2] and Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine (from 18 May 1945).[2]
He was also General Commissioner for German and Austrian Affairs (1948–1950); Secretary of State for the Budget in the second government of Prime MinisterRobert Schuman and first government of Prime MinisterHenri Queuille (1948);[2] Secretary of State for the Armed Forces (Navy) in the government of Prime MinisterFélix Gaillard (1957–1958); and president of theAssociation des maires de France or AMF (1974–1983).[3]
A longtime ally and political protégé of Schuman,[4] Poher was reelected to the Senate in 1952,[2] where he remained for over 40 years, until 1995. As a Senator, he continued to serve in government (as Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, tasked with the Navy, in the government of Prime MinisterFélix Gaillard in the late 1950s), in addition to his duties as mayor of his home town, Ablon-sur-Seine. Like Schuman, he was known for strongly pro-European integration positions; he served asPresident of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969.[5]
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During his tenure, Poher served with the Gaullist government of Prime MinisterMaurice Couve de Murville,[4] Charles de Gaulle's close ally. Some even referred to this period as the firstcohabitation. Despite sharp political differences, Poher was widely credited for model cooperation with the government.
According to theorder of succession established by theConstitution of the Fifth Republic, thePresident of the Senate assumes the nation's presidential powers and duties following the president's death or resignation; the officeholder thus becomesad interim head of state until the next early presidential election.
Poher's first service as interim president came on 29 April 1969, whenCharles de Gaulle resigned.[3] Previously he was one of Charles de Gaulle's most notable political opponents and played a key role in the successful "no" campaign in thefinal referendum of his presidency.[5] During his interim presidency, Poher continued to serve as Senate President. However, he resided during this time in theÉlysée Palace as acting president.
Initially, Poher tried to recruit GeneralMarie-Pierre Kœnig as a candidate for the presidency and offered him his full support. Kœnig, however, declined to run, citing his poor health and stating that one general should not replace another general as the head of state. After Kœnig's refusal, Poher himself announced his candidacy. Due to favourable polls, he was viewed as the strongest opponent toGeorges Pompidou and the only non-Gaullist candidate who had a real opportunity to win the election. The lack of a longstanding party machine nevertheless hurt his chances.
During his short term in office Poher's main task was overseeing the incoming election, in which he himself participated. However, during his tenure he also took some major initiatives; notably, he fired longtime Charles de Gaulle confidantJacques Foccart, a Secretary-General for African Affairs as well as, unofficially, the chief of the Gaullist secret services, who returned to the Élysée after Pompidou's election.[4]
Poher also ordered the directors of France's state-controlled radio and television networks to keep public media politically neutral and refrain from acting in the interest of any particular party. His successors followed this precedent. He also ordered the redeployment of a large police force in Paris in the wake of theMay 68 events.[4] His accomplishments helped Poher, previously largely unknown to the public, develop significant popularity during his interim presidency, despite his defeat in the election.
Regarding the usage of theForce de dissuasion in 1969, he later wrote: "As head of the armed forces, I should have received the famous envelope containing the 'instructions for use' of the atomic weapon. However, General de Gaulle's chief of the military staff (...) had disappeared. After a stubborn search which lasted three days, a period during which France was deprived of any possibility of nuclear response, he was finally found."[6]
He served again asad interim head of state in 1974 after Pompidou died in office. This time, however, he did not run for his own term and stepped down afterValéry Giscard d'Estaing waselected againstFrançois Mitterrand.[7]
Government functions
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Senate
Local
Étant chef des armées, j'aurais dû recevoir la fameuse enveloppe contenant le "mode d'emploi" de l'arme atomique. Pourtant le chef d'état-major du général de Gaulle (…) avait disparu. Après d'opiniâtres recherches qui durèrent trois jours, période pendant laquelle la France fut privée de toute possibilité de riposte nucléaire, on le retrouva enfin ».
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the European Parliament 1966–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the French Senate 1968–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of France Acting 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of France Acting 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by | Co-Prince of Andorra Acting 1969 WithRamon Malla Call | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Co-Prince of Andorra Acting 1974 WithJoan Martí i Alanis | Succeeded by |
| Common Assembly: 1952–1958 | |
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| Parliamentary Assembly: 1958–1962 | |
| European Parliament (appointed): 1962–1979 | |
| European Parliament (elected): 1979–present | |
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| Other | |
