Neo-Gaullist leader who was twice prime minister and mayor of Paris before becoming president
Born in Paris in 1932, he briefly moved in Communist circles as a Sciences Po student, graduated from the ENA and volunteered to serve in the Algerian War. In 1962 he joined the staff of Prime Minister Pompidou, and from 1967, as deputy for the Corrèze, held a series of ministerial posts. Prime minister under Giscard d'Estaing from 1974, he resigned in 1976 and founded the Rally for the Republic, and he was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. After heading the first cohabitation government in 1986–1988, he was elected president in 1995 and served until 2007. In 1995 he recognised the French state's responsibility for the persecution of Jews, and he opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Activities and affiliations
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1967–1995
Legislature and state representation
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1967–2007
France state institutionsPrime Minister, President of the RepublicHeads of state and government of FranceMain
Government and administration -
1977–1995
France state institutionsMayor of Paris
Government and administration -
1979–1980
Legislature and state representation
Career Timeline
- 1962.04–1967Staff of Prime Minister Pompidou
- 1967–1974Secretary of State, Minister for Relations with Parliament, Minister of Agriculture
- 1974.03–05Minister of the Interior
- 1974.05.27–1976.08.25Prime Minister (1st tenure)
- 1976–1994President of the Rally for the Republic
- 1977–1995Mayor of Paris
- 1986.03.20–1988.05.10Prime Minister (2nd tenure)
- 1995.05.17–2007.05.16President of the Republic