Alain Poher
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Alain Poher | |
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![]() Poher in 1969 | |
President of France Acting | |
In office 2 April 1974 – 27 May 1974 | |
Prime Minister | Pierre Messmer |
Preceded by | Georges Pompidou |
Succeeded by | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
In office 28 April 1969 – 20 June 1969 | |
Prime Minister | Maurice Couve de Murville |
Preceded by | Charles de Gaulle |
Succeeded by | Georges Pompidou |
President of the French Senate | |
In office 3 October 1968 – 1 October 1992 | |
Preceded by | Gaston Monnerville |
Succeeded by | René Monory |
President of the European Parliament | |
In office 7 March 1966 – 11 March 1969 | |
Preceded by | Victor Leemans |
Succeeded by | Mario Scelba |
French Senator | |
In office 26 April 1959 – 1 October 1995 | |
Constituency | Val-de-Marne |
In office 18 May 1952 – 26 April 1959 | |
Constituency | Seine-et-Oise |
In office 8 December 1946 – 7 November 1948 | |
Constituency | Seine-et-Oise |
Personal details | |
Born | Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher 17 April 1909 Ablon-sur-Seine, France |
Died | 9 December 1996 Paris, France | (aged 87)
Nationality | French |
Political party | Popular Republican Movement (before 1967) Democratic Centre (1967–1976) Centre of Social Democrats (1976–1995) Democratic Force (1995–1996) |
Other political affiliations | Union for French Democracy (1978–1996) |
Spouse(s) | Henriette Tugler |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Mines ParisTech Sciences Po |
Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (French: [alɛ̃ pɔɛʁ]; 17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996) was a French centrist politician, affiliated first with the Popular Republican Movement and later with the Democratic Centre. He served as a Senator for Val-de-Marne from 1946 to 1995.
He was President of the Senate from 3 October 1968 to 1 October 1992 and, in that capacity, served twice as the country's interim president. A leading candidate in the 1969 presidential election, he was defeated by Georges Pompidou in the second round.
Early career[]
Poher was born in Ablon-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne.[1]
He graduated from the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the Lycée Saint-Louis in Paris and later studied law. On 19 August 1938 he married Henriette Tugler, with whom he had one daughter, Marie-Agnès.[1]
His political career began in 1938, when he became a junior executive officer in the Ministry of Finance.[1]
Later he served on several positions before entering the Senate:
- Chairman, Ministry of Finance Liberation Committee (from 20 July 1944)[1]
- Head of Social Services, Ministry of Finance (from 1 January 1945)[1]
- Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine (from 1 January 1946)[1]
- Sec. of State for Finance and Economic Affairs (Govt. of Robert Schuman)[1]
- Sec. of State for the Budget (Govt. of Henri Queuille)[1]
A longtime ally and political protégé of Schuman,[2] Poher was elected to the Senate in 1952,[1] where he remained for over 40 years, until 1995.[citation needed] As Senator he continued to serve in some governments and as his home-town mayor. Like Schuman, he was known for strongly pro-European integration positions; he served as President of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969.[3]
President of the Senate[]
During his tenure, Poher served with the Gaullist government of Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville,[2] de Gaulle's close ally. Some even referred to this period as the first cohabitation. Despite sharp political differences, Poher was widely credited for model cooperation with the government.
Interim Presidency of the Republic[]
According to the order of succession established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, the president of the French senate assumes the nation's presidential powers and duties following the president's death or resignation, and becomes interim Head of State until the next election.[citation needed]
Poher's first service as interim president came on 29 April 1969, when Charles de Gaulle resigned.[4] Previously he was one of de Gaulle's most notable political opponents and played a key role in the successful "no" campaign in de Gaulle's final referendum.[3]
During his interim Presidency Poher continued to serve as Senate President. However, he resided during this time in the Élysée Palace as acting president.
Initially Poher tried to recruit General Marie Pierre Kœnig as a candidate for the Presidency and offered him his full support. Kœnig, however, declined to run, citing his poor health and stating that one general should not replace another general as the head of state.
After Kœnig's refusal, Poher himself announced his candidacy. Due to favourable polls he was viewed as the strongest opponent of Georges Pompidou and the only non-Gaullist candidate who had a real opportunity to win the election. Lack of a longstanding party machine, however, hurt his chances.
During his short term in office Poher's main task was overseeing the incoming election, in which he himself participated. However, during his tenure he took some major initiatives; for example, he fired longtime de Gaulle confidant Jacques Foccart, a Secretary-General for African Affairs and, unofficially, chief of the Gaullist secret services. (He returned to the Élysée after Pompidou's election).[2]
Poher also ordered the directors of France's state-controlled radio and television networks to keep public media politically neutral and refrain from acting in the interest of any particular party. His successors followed this precedent. He also ordered the redeployment of a large police force in Paris in the wake of the May 1968 events.[2]
His accomplishments helped Poher, previously largely unknown to the public, develop significant popularity during his interim presidency, despite his defeat in the election.
He served again as Interim President in 1974 after Pompidou died in office. This time, however, he did not run for his own term and stepped down after Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected.[5]
Political career[]
- Interim President of the French Republic: April–June 1969, April–May 1974
Governmental functions
- Secretary of State for Budget: September–November 1948
- Secretary of State for the Navy: 1957–1958
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
- President of the European Parliament: 1966–1969
Senate
- President of the Senate of France: 1968–1992
- Senator of Val-de-Marne: 1946–1995
- Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine: 1946–1983
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alain Poher. |
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "ALAIN POHER (1909 - 1996)". Embassy of France in the United States. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "A Caretaker Who Cares". TIME. Vol. 93 no. 19. 9 March 1969. p. 33. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Riches, Christopher; Palmowski, Jan, eds. (2021). "Poher, Alain". A Dictionary of Contemporary World History (6th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191890949.
- ^ "Alain Poher". Élysée (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ Dély, Renaud (10 December 1996). "Alain Poher, mort de l'intérimaire". Libération (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- 1909 births
- 1996 deaths
- 20th-century heads of state of France
- Sciences Po alumni
- Candidates for President of France
- Democratic Centre (France) MEPs
- Democratic Centre (France) politicians
- French Roman Catholics
- French Senators of the Fourth Republic
- French Senators of the Fifth Republic
- Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni
- Lycée Saint-Louis alumni
- MEPs for France 1958–1979
- People from Val-de-Marne
- Popular Republican Movement politicians
- Presidents of the European Parliament
- Presidents of the Senate (France)
- Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Senators of Seine-et-Oise
- Senators of Val-de-Marne