Paul Doumer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Doumer in 1931 | |
| 14thPresident of France | |
| In office 13 June 1931 – 7 May 1932 | |
| Prime Minister | Pierre Laval André Tardieu |
| Preceded by | Gaston Doumergue |
| Succeeded by | André Tardieu(ad interim) |
| President of the Senate | |
| In office 14 January 1927 – 9 June 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Justin de Selves |
| Succeeded by | Albert Lebrun |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 16 December 1925 – 9 March 1926 | |
| Prime Minister | Aristide Briand |
| Preceded by | Louis Loucheur |
| Succeeded by | Raoul Péret |
| In office 16 January 1921 – 15 January 1922 | |
| Prime Minister | Aristide Briand |
| Preceded by | Frédéric François-Marsal |
| Succeeded by | Charles de Lasteyrie |
| In office 1 November 1895 – 29 April 1896 | |
| Prime Minister | Léon Bourgeois |
| Preceded by | Alexandre Ribot |
| Succeeded by | Georges Cochery |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 10 January 1905 – 31 May 1906 | |
| Preceded by | Henri Brisson |
| Succeeded by | Henri Brisson |
| Governor-General ofFrench Indochina | |
| In office 13 February 1897 – 14 March 1902 | |
| Preceded by | Armand Rousseau |
| Succeeded by | Paul Beau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 March 1857 |
| Died | 7 May 1932(1932-05-07) (aged 75) |
| Manner of death | Assassination by gunshot |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of Paris Conservatoire national des arts et métiers |
| Signature | .svg) |
Joseph Athanase Doumer, commonly known asPaul Doumer (French:[pɔldumɛːʀ]; 22 March 1857 – 7 May 1932), was a French politician who served as thePresident of France from June 1931 until his assassination in May 1932. He is described as "the Father of French Indochina,"[1] and was seen as one of the most active and effective governors general of Indochina.[2]
Joseph Athanase Doumer was born inAurillac, in theCantaldépartement, in France on 22 March 1857, into a family of modest means. Alumnus of theConservatoire National des Arts et Métiers,[3] he became a professor ofmathematics atMende in 1877.[4]
In 1878 Doumer marriedBlanche Richel, whom he had met at college. They had eight children, four of whom were killed in theFirst World War (including the French air aceRené Doumer).[citation needed]
From 1879 until 1883 Doumer was professor atRemiremont, before leaving on health grounds. He then became chief editor ofCourrier de l'Aisne, a French regional newspaper. Initiated intoFreemasonry in 1879, at "L'Union Fraternelle" lodge, he became Grand Secretary ofGrand Orient de France in 1892.[5][6][7]
He made his debut in politics in 1885 aschef de cabinet toCharles Floquet, then president of theChamber of Deputies (a post equivalent to thespeaker of the House of Commons). In 1888, Doumer was elected Radical deputy for the department ofAisne. Defeated in the general elections of September 1889, he was elected again in 1890 by the arrondissement ofAuxerre. He was brieflyMinister of Finance of France (1895–1896) when he tried without success to introduce an income tax.[8]
Doumer wasGovernor-General of French Indochina from 1897 to 1902. Upon his arrival the colonies were losing millions of francs annually. Determined to put them on a paying basis, he levied taxes onopium, wine and the salt trade. The Vietnamese, Cambodians and Laotians who could not or would not pay these taxes, lost their houses and land, and often became day laborers. He established Indochina as a market for French products and a source of profitable investment by French businessmen.[9] Doumer set about outfitting Indochina, especiallyHanoi, the capital, with modern infrastructure befitting property of France. Tree-lined avenues and a large number ofFrench colonial buildings were constructed in Hanoi during his governance. TheLong Bien Bridge and theGrand Palais in Hanoi were among large-scale projects built during his term; the bridge was originally named after him. The palace was destroyed by airstrikes toward the end of World War II. The bridge survived, and became a well-known landmark and target forUS pilots during theVietnam War.[citation needed]
With a view to annexing south Yunnan to French Indochina, Doumer successfully lobbied the French government to approve construction of theIndochina-Yunnan railway in 1898.[10]
After returning to France, Doumer was elected byLaon to the Chamber of Deputies as aRadical. He refused to support the ministry ofÉmile Combes, and formed a Radical dissident group, which grew in strength and eventually caused the fall of the ministry.[8] He then served as President of the Chamber from 1902 to 1905.[citation needed]
Doumer became Minister of Finance of France again in 1925 whenLouis Loucheur resigned.[11] He then served asPresident of the French Senate from 1927 until the1931 presidential election. He was elected President of the French Republic on 13 May 1931, defeating the better knownAristide Briand, and replacingGaston Doumergue.[12]
On 6 May 1932, Paul Doumer was in Paris at the opening of a book fair at theHôtel Salomon de Rothschild, talking to authorClaude Farrère. Suddenly several shots were fired byPaul Gorguloff, aRussian émigré. Two of the shots hit Doumer, at the base of the skull and in the right armpit, and he fell to the ground. Claude Farrère wrestled with the assassin before the police arrived. Doumer was rushed to the hospital in Paris, where he died at 04:37 on 7 May. He is the only French president to be shot dead.
Gorguloff was indicted for murder and executed by theguillotine four months later, after a swift trial.[13]
André Maurois was an eyewitness to the assassination, having come to the book fair to autograph copies of his book. He later described the scene in his autobiography,Call No Man Happy. As Maurois notes, because the President was assassinated at a meeting of writers, it was decided that writers - Maurois among them - should stand guard over the body while he lay in state at theÉlysée.[14]
As an author he is known by hisL'Indo-Chine française (1904), andLe Livre de mes fils (1906).[8]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Doumer, Paul".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 450.| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Armand Rousseau | Governor-General of French Indochina 1897–1902 | Succeeded by Paul Beau |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1895–1896 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Chamber of Deputies 1905–1906 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1921–1922 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1925–1926 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Senate 1927–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of France 1931–1932 | |
| Regnal titles | ||
| Preceded by | Co-Prince of Andorra 1931–1932 Served alongside: Justí Guitart i Vilardebó | Succeeded by |
General Council of Aisne until 2015 | |
