Gaullist drafter of the Fifth Republic constitution and its first prime minister
Born in Paris in 1912, the son of the medical professor Robert Debré, he entered the Council of State in 1934. Captured in 1940, he escaped and served in the Council of State under Vichy, but in 1943 joined a Resistance network. After the Liberation he created the École nationale d'administration, moved through the Radical Party to the Rally of the French People and was a senator from 1948 to 1958. As justice minister in 1958 he led the drafting of the Fifth Republic constitution, and he was its first prime minister from 1959 to 1962. He later served as minister of the economy and finance, foreign affairs and defence, and as deputy for Réunion he took part in the forced transfer of children to mainland France known as the "Children of the Creuse".
Activities and affiliations
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1934–1943
France state institutionsMember of the Council of State
Law and justice -
1946–1947
Government and administration
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1947–1955
Rally of the French People (RPF)
Government and administration -
1948–1988
Legislature and state representation
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1958–1973
France state institutionsMinister of Justice, Prime MinisterHeads of state and government of FranceMain
Government and administration -
1979–1980
Legislature and state representation
Career Timeline
- 1934–1943Member of the Council of State
- 1944.08–1945Commissioner of the Republic in Angers
- 1948–1959Senator for Indre-et-Loire
- 1958–1959Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice
- 1959.01.08–1962.04.14Prime Minister
- 1963–1988Deputy for Réunion
- 1966–1968Minister of the Economy and Finance
- 1968–1969Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1969–1973Minister of Defence