Gaston Monnerville | |
|---|---|
 Monnerville in 1947 | |
| Member of theConstitutional Council | |
| In office 5 March 1974 – 3 March 1983 | |
| Appointed by | Alain Poher |
| President | Roger Frey |
| Preceded by | François Luchaire |
| Succeeded by | Léon Jozeau-Marigné |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 9 December 1958 – 2 October 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (as President of the Council of Republic) |
| Succeeded by | Alain Poher |
| President of the Council of the Republic | |
| In office 18 March 1947 – 2 October 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Auguste Champetier de Ribes |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as President of the Senate) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 January 1897 Cayenne, French Guiana |
| Died | 7 November 1991(1991-11-07) (aged 94) 16th arrondissement of Paris, France |
| Political party | Radical Party |
| Alma mater | University of Toulouse |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Signature | .png) |
Gaston Monnerville (2 January 1897 – 7 November 1991) was a FrenchRadical politician and lawyer who served as the firstPresident of the Senate under theFifth Republic from 1958 to 1968.[1] He previously served as President of theCouncil of the Republic from 1947 to 1958. A member of theFrench Resistance inWorld War II, he is the first black person to preside over a national parliamentary body in French history.
The grandson of a slave on his mother's side, Monnerville grew up inFrench Guiana and went toToulouse to complete his studies. A brilliant student, he became a lawyer in 1918 and worked withCésar Campinchi, a lawyer who later became an influential politician.
After joining theRadical Party, Monnerville was elected a member of theChamber of Deputies forFrench Guiana in1932. He was reelected in1936. He was Undersecretary of State for Colonies in the government of Prime MinisterCamille Chautemps of 1937–1938.
During the first part ofWorld War II, he served in theFrench Navy, on thebattleshipProvence. He was not demobilized until 17 July 1940, well after the French defeat byNazi Germany, and therefore did not get to vote on the grant ofdictatorial powers toMarshal Pétain. He protested against thearmistice signed by Pétain, and complained about the treatment of French colonial subjects by Petain'sVichy government. In late 1940, he joinedCombat, one of the major groups in theresistance. As a lawyer inMarseille, in unoccupied France, he defended persons arrested or persecuted by the Vichy government for their opinions or racial origin. For this he was repeatedly threatened or arrested by the Vichy police.
When Germany occupied the rest of France in 1942, he went underground and joined theMaquis ofAuvergne, as "Commandant St-Just". He and his wife Cheylade established a military hospital in June 1944.
That fall he was demobilized, before was appointed by the Radical Party to sit in theProvisional Consultative Assembly of the restored government.[2]
In 1945, he was appointed chairman of a commission to determine the future status of theFrench colonies. In October 1945, he was elected Delegate from French Guiana to theFirst Constituent Assembly of theFourth Republic, and to theSecond Constituent Assembly in April 1946. Also in 1946, he was a French delegate to the first session of theUnited Nations. He was defeated for election to theThird Constituent Assembly in November 1946, in part because some Guianese objected to his efforts to close the prison colony ofDevil's Island.
Instead he was named to theCouncil of the Republic of France (theSenate), which was being reconstituted by appointments. He was immediately elected President of this Council, and became one of the most active members of the Senate. In March 1947, he was chosen President of the Council, by a vote of 141 to 131 over theCommunist candidate.
In 1948, he changed his residence from Guiana toLot, and was elected Senator there. He served as Senator from Lot and President of the Council until the end of the Fourth Republic in 1958.
In 1958, Monnerville supportedCharles de Gaulle in returning to power, but he objected to De Gaulle's dissolution of the Fourth Republic. However, when the Fifth Republic was established, he resumed his place in the Senate (now called by that name); he was elected President of the Senate (the second highest-ranking official in France after the President) in 1959, serving until 1968.
In 1962, he famously opposed thereferendum altering the constitution for changing the method of election of the president to a direct election, instead of anelectoral college, on grounds that the method for constitutional amendments was not respected, a reform strongly desired by Charles de Gaulle. TheConstitutional Council however ruled itself "incompetent" to strike down a reform voted by the French people.[3] He went as far as to use the strong word offorfaiture ("abuse of authority") against the behaviour of Prime MinisterGeorges Pompidou, who had accepted to sign the referendum project.[4][5]
From 1974 to 1983, he was a member of theConstitutional Council of France.
Media related toGaston Monnerville at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of theCouncil of the Republic 1947–1958 | Formation of theFifth Republic |
| End of theFourth Republic | President of theSenate 1958–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theConstitutional Council 1974–1983 | Succeeded by |
