Centre-right non-Gaullist president who liberalised social laws and lost to Mitterrand in 1981
Born in Koblenz, Germany, in 1926, he graduated from the École polytechnique and the ENA and became an inspector of finance. Elected deputy for the Puy-de-Dôme in 1956, he was finance minister under de Gaulle and minister of the economy and finance under Pompidou, while leading the Independent Republicans. Elected president in 1974, he lowered the age of majority, decriminalised abortion and introduced divorce by mutual consent. With the economy in a downturn after the oil shocks, he lost to Mitterrand in 1981. After his presidency he sat in the European Parliament, presided over the regional council of Auvergne and chaired the Convention on the Future of Europe.
Activities and affiliations
-
1956–2002
Legislature and state representation
-
1959–1981
France state institutionsMinister of Finance, President of the RepublicHeads of state and government of FranceMain
Government and administration -
1989–1993
Legislature and state representation
-
2004–2020
France state institutionsEx officio member of the Constitutional Council
Law and justice
Career Timeline
- 1956–1959Deputy for the Puy-de-Dôme
- 1959–1962Secretary of State for Finance
- 1962–1966Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs
- 1969–1974Minister of the Economy and Finance
- 1974.05.27–1981.05.21President of the Republic
- 1986–2004President of the Regional Council of Auvergne
- 1989–1993Member of the European Parliament
- 2001–2004President of the Convention on the Future of Europe