Gaston Monnerville
Encyclopedia
Gaston Monnerville was a French
politician
and lawyer
.
The grandson of a slave, he grew up in French Guiana
and went to Toulouse
to complete his studies. A brilliant student, he became a lawyer in 1918 and worked with César Campinchi
, a lawyer who later became an influential politician. He joined the Radical Party and was elected Deputy
from French Guiana in 1932. He was Undersecretary of State for the Colonies in the Chautemps
government of 1937-1938, becoming the first black man to hold a senior position in the French government.
During the first part of World War II
, he served in the French Navy
, on the battleship
Provence
. He was not demobilized till 17 July 1940, well after the French defeat by Germany
, and therefore did not vote on the grant of dictatorial powers to Marshal Pétain
. He protested against the armistice
signed by Pétain, and complained about the treatment of French colonial subjects by Petain's Vichy
government. In late 1940, he joined Combat
, one of the major groups in the resistance
. As a lawyer in Marseille
, in unoccupied France, he defended persons arrested or persecuted by the Vichy government for their opinions or racial origin. For this he was repeatedly threatened or arrested by the Vichy police.
When Germany occupied the rest of France in 1942, he went underground, and joined the Maquis
of Auvergne
, as "Commandant St-Just". He and his wife Cheylade established a military hospital in June 1944. That fall he was demobilized, and was appointed by the Radical Party to sit in the "Provisional Consultative Assembly" of the restored French government.
In 1945, he was appointed chairman of a commission to determine the future status of the French colonies
. In October 1945, he was elected Delegate from French Guiana to the First Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic
, and to the Second Constituent Assembly in April 1946. Also in 1946, he was a French delegate to the first session of the United Nations
. He was defeated for election to the Third Constituent Assembly in November 1946, in part because some Guianans objected to his efforts to close the prison colony of Devil's Island
.
Instead he was named to the Council of the Republic of France
(the Senate), which was being reconstituted by appointments. He was immediately elected President of this Council, and became one of the most active members of the Senate. In March 1947, he was chosen President of the Council, by a vote of 141 to 131 over the Communist
candidate.
In 1948, he changed his residence from Guiana to Lot, and was elected Senator there. He served as Senator from Lot and President of the Council until the end of the Fourth Republic in 1958.
In 1958, Monnerville supported Charles de Gaulle
in returning to power, but he objected to De Gaulle's dissolution of the Fourth Republic. However, when the Fifth Republic was established, he resumed his place in the Senate (now called by that name), and was elected President of the Senate in 1959, serving until 1968.
In 1962, he famously opposed the referendum altering the constitution
for changing the method of election of the president to a direct election, instead of an electoral college
, on grounds that the method for constitutional amendments was not respected, a reform strongly desired by Charles de Gaulle. The Constitutional Council
however ruled itself "incompetent" to strike down a reform voted by the French people. He went as far as to use the strong word of forfaiture ("abuse of authority") against the behaviour of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou
, who had accepted to sign the referendum project
From 1977 to 1983, he was a member of the Constitutional Council of France
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
The grandson of a slave, he grew up in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
and went to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
to complete his studies. A brilliant student, he became a lawyer in 1918 and worked with César Campinchi
César Campinchi
César Campinchi was a lawyer and French statesman in the beginning of the 20th century....
, a lawyer who later became an influential politician. He joined the Radical Party and was elected Deputy
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
from French Guiana in 1932. He was Undersecretary of State for the Colonies in the Chautemps
Camille Chautemps
Camille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
government of 1937-1938, becoming the first black man to hold a senior position in the French government.
During the first part of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he served in the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, on the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Provence
French battleship Provence
The Provence was a French Navy battleship of the Bretagne class named in honour of the French region of Provence.- Construction :She was built by Arsenal de Lorient, and her keel was laid on 1 May 1912...
. He was not demobilized till 17 July 1940, well after the French defeat by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and therefore did not vote on the grant of dictatorial powers to Marshal Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
. He protested against the armistice
Armistice with France (Second Compiègne)
The Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed at 18:50 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, in the department of Oise, between Nazi Germany and France...
signed by Pétain, and complained about the treatment of French colonial subjects by Petain's Vichy
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
government. In late 1940, he joined Combat
Combat (French Resistance)
Combat was a large movement in the French Resistance created in the non-occupied zone of France during the Second World War .Combat was one of the eight great resistance movements which constituted the Conseil national de la Résistance....
, one of the major groups in the resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. As a lawyer in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, in unoccupied France, he defended persons arrested or persecuted by the Vichy government for their opinions or racial origin. For this he was repeatedly threatened or arrested by the Vichy police.
When Germany occupied the rest of France in 1942, he went underground, and joined the Maquis
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
of Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
, as "Commandant St-Just". He and his wife Cheylade established a military hospital in June 1944. That fall he was demobilized, and was appointed by the Radical Party to sit in the "Provisional Consultative Assembly" of the restored French government.
In 1945, he was appointed chairman of a commission to determine the future status of the French colonies
Overseas departments and territories of France
The French Overseas Departments and Territories consist broadly of French-administered territories outside of the European continent. These territories have varying legal status and different levels of autonomy, although all have representation in the Parliament of France , and consequently the...
. In October 1945, he was elected Delegate from French Guiana to the First Constituent Assembly of the Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
, and to the Second Constituent Assembly in April 1946. Also in 1946, he was a French delegate to the first session of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He was defeated for election to the Third Constituent Assembly in November 1946, in part because some Guianans objected to his efforts to close the prison colony of Devil's Island
Devil's Island
Devil's Island is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut located about 6 nautical miles off the coast of French Guiana . It has an area of 14 ha . It was a small part of the notorious French penal colony in French Guiana until 1952...
.
Instead he was named to the Council of the Republic of France
Council of the Republic
Council of the Republic may refer to:* Council of the Republic of the Soviet Union* Council of the Republic of Belarus* Council of the Republic of Russia...
(the Senate), which was being reconstituted by appointments. He was immediately elected President of this Council, and became one of the most active members of the Senate. In March 1947, he was chosen President of the Council, by a vote of 141 to 131 over the Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
candidate.
In 1948, he changed his residence from Guiana to Lot, and was elected Senator there. He served as Senator from Lot and President of the Council until the end of the Fourth Republic in 1958.
In 1958, Monnerville supported Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in returning to power, but he objected to De Gaulle's dissolution of the Fourth Republic. However, when the Fifth Republic was established, he resumed his place in the Senate (now called by that name), and was elected President of the Senate in 1959, serving until 1968.
In 1962, he famously opposed the referendum altering the constitution
French presidential election referendum, 1962
A referendum on the direct election of the President was held in France on 28 October 1962. It was approved by 62.3% of voters with a 77.0% turnout...
for changing the method of election of the president to a direct election, instead of an electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
, on grounds that the method for constitutional amendments was not respected, a reform strongly desired by Charles de Gaulle. The Constitutional Council
Constitutional Council of France
The Constitutional Council is the highest constitutional authority in France. It was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958, and its duty is to ensure that the principles and rules of the constitution are upheld.Its main activity is to rule on whether proposed...
however ruled itself "incompetent" to strike down a reform voted by the French people. He went as far as to use the strong word of forfaiture ("abuse of authority") against the behaviour of Prime Minister Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
, who had accepted to sign the referendum project
From 1977 to 1983, he was a member of the Constitutional Council of France
Constitutional Council of France
The Constitutional Council is the highest constitutional authority in France. It was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958, and its duty is to ensure that the principles and rules of the constitution are upheld.Its main activity is to rule on whether proposed...
.