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Jacques Chaban-Delmas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chaban-Delmas in 1969 | |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 20 June 1969 – 5 July 1972 | |
| President | Georges Pompidou |
| Preceded by | Maurice Couve de Murville |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Messmer |
| President of the National Assembly | |
| In office 2 April 1986 – 23 June 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Mermaz |
| Succeeded by | Laurent Fabius |
| In office 3 April 1978 – 2 July 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Edgar Faure |
| Succeeded by | Louis Mermaz |
| In office 9 December 1959 – 24 June 1969 | |
| Preceded by | André Le Troquer |
| Succeeded by | Achille Peretti |
| Mayor ofBordeaux | |
| In office 19 October 1947 – 19 June 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Jean-Fernand Audeguil |
| Succeeded by | Alain Juppé |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jacques Michel Pierre Delmas (1915-03-07)7 March 1915 |
| Died | 10 November 2000(2000-11-10) (aged 85) Paris, France |
| Party | Rally for the Republic (1976–2000) |
| Other political affiliations | Radical Party (1940–1947) Rally of the French People (1947–1955) National Centre of Social Republicans (1955–1958) Union for the New Republic (1958–1968) Union of Democrats for the Republic (1968–1976) |
| Alma mater | Sciences Po |
| Occupation | Civil Servant |
Jacques Chaban-Delmas (French:[ʒakʃabɑ̃dɛlmas]; 7 March 1915 – 10 November 2000)[1] was a FrenchGaullist politician. He served asPrime Minister underGeorges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. He was theMayor ofBordeaux from 1947 to 1995 and a deputy for theGirondedépartement between 1946 and 1997.
Jacques Chaban-Delmas was bornJacques Michel Pierre Delmas in Paris. He studied at theLycée Lakanal inSceaux, before attending theÉcole Libre des Sciences Politiques ("Sciences Po"). In theresistance underground, his finalnom de guerre wasChaban; after World War II, he formally changed his name toChaban-Delmas.[1] As ageneral of brigade in the resistance, he took part in theParisian insurrection of August 1944, with general de Gaulle. He was the youngest French general sinceFrançois Séverin Marceau-Desgraviers, during theFirst French Empire.
A member of theRadical Party, he finally joined the GaullistRally of the French People (RPF), which opposed theFourth Republic's governments. In 1947, he becamemayor ofBordeaux, which was for 48 years his electoral fief. As a member of theNational Assembly, he sat with the RPF.
In 1953, when the RPF group split (andCharles de Gaulle supposedly retired), Chaban-Delmas became head of the Union of Republicans for Social Action and president of theNational Centre of Social Republicans party. He "tied up" with centre-left parties and joinedPierre Mendès-France's cabinet one year later as Minister of Public Works. He took part in the centre-left coalitionRepublican Front, which won the1956 legislative election. He was France'sDefence Minister in 1957–1958. His governmental participation during the Fourth Republic inspired the distrust of de Gaulle and someGaullists.
Following de Gaulle's return to power in 1958, Chaban-Delmas agreed to the advent of theFrench Fifth Republic and the new Constitution. He took part in the foundation of theUnion for the New Republic (UNR) and was elected, against de Gaulle's will, chairman of theNational Assembly. He kept this function until the end of de Gaulle's presidency in 1969. Unlike some Gaullists, for instance,Jacques Soustelle, he supported de Gaulle's policy to end theAlgerian War of Independence. During the 1959 UNR Congress, he was the first politician to evoke a "reserved presidential domain," composed chiefly of defence and diplomacy. This interpretation of the Constitution of 1958 has survived.
In 1969, whenGeorges Pompidou acceded to the presidency, he chose Chaban-Delmas, who had concluded that theMay 68 crisis was the consequence of a strained and conflicted society, as prime minister. Chaban-Delmas tried to promote what he called "a new society", based ondialogue between the different social forces in French society. Amongst other reforms, government authority over the mass media was relaxed, while legislation was passed on social welfare coverage for the poor and elderly which consolidated France's profile as awelfare state. In addition, regular increases were made to the minimum wage which prevented greater wage disparities. A new legal aid scheme was introduced, along with a number of new social welfare benefits.
As a result of his social policies, Chaban-Delmas was viewed as too "progressive" by the "conservative" wing of the Gaullist movement. He was suspected of wanting to "tie up" again with the centre-left. Indeed, his advisers who inspired the "new society" programme were considered as close to the centre-left (Simon Nora andJacques Delors, who would serve as Finance Minister underFrançois Mitterrand). Besides, a latent conflict opposed Chaban-Delmas to President Pompidou and the presidential circle. They accused him of trying to weaken the presidency in favour of himself. The satirical paperLe Canard Enchaîné accused him of breaking the law throughtax evasion and in 1972, Chaban-Delmas canvassed for avote of confidence in the Assembly. He did obtain this, but the President still managed to force his resignation.
Two years later, following the death in office of President Pompidou, Chaban-Delmas ran for the presidency himself. He was supported by the "lords of gaullism", but 43 personalities close to the late president, led byJacques Chirac, published theCall of the 43 [fr] in favour of the candidacy ofValéry Giscard d'Estaing. Chaban-Delmas was defeated on the first ballot of the1974 presidential election, winning only 15.10% of the vote. Chirac became President Giscard d'Estaing's prime minister.
Chaban-Delmas stood in the Gaullist Party (RPR) and, in spite of Chirac's leadership, returned to the chair of the National Assembly (1978–1981). Due to his friendship with PresidentMitterrand, his name was mentioned as a possible prime minister during the first "cohabitation" (1986–1988), but he instead became president of the National Assembly for the third time and Chirac again became premier.
Chaban-Delmas retired in 1997, towards the end of his thirteenth term of member of the National Assembly and two years after the end of his eighth term as Mayor of Bordeaux.
Governmental functions
Prime minister: 1969–1972
Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism: June–August 1954 / 1954–1955
Minister of Housing and Reconstruction: September–November 1954
Minister of State: 1956–1957
Minister of Defence and Armed Forces: 1957–1958
Electoral mandates
National Assembly of France
President of the National Assembly: 1958–1969 / 1978–1981 / 1986–1988
Member of the National Assembly forthe Gironde 2nd : 1946–1969 (Became Prime minister in 1969) / 1972–1997. Elected in June 1946, reelected in November 1946, 1951, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1981, 1988, 1993.
Regional Council
President of the Regional Council ofAquitaine : 1974–1979 / 1985–1988 (Resignation). Elected in 1986.
Regional councillor ofAquitaine : 1974–1979 / 1985–1988 (Resignation). Elected in 1986.
Mayor ofBordeaux : 1947–1995. Reelected in 1953, 1959, 1965, 1971, 1977, 1983, 1989.
Municipal councillor ofBordeaux : 1947–1995. Reelected in 1953, 1959, 1965, 1971, 1977, 1983, 1989.
Urban Community Council
President of theUrban Community of Bordeaux : 1967–1983 / 1983–1995. Reelected in 1971, 1983, 1989.
Vice-president of theUrban Community of Bordeaux : 1977–1983.
Changes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works, Transport and Tourism 1954 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works, Transport and Tourism 1954–1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Reconstruction and Housing 1954 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by — | Minister of State 1956–1957 | Succeeded by — |
| Preceded by | Minister of National Defence and the Armed Forces 1957–1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the National Assembly 1958–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of France 1969–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the National Assembly 1978–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the National Assembly 1986–1988 | Succeeded by |
