Jean Royer
Encyclopedia
Jean Royer was a French catholic and conservative politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of Tours
.
, Nièvre, Royer was at first a teacher. In 1958
he was elected as a right-wing deputy from the Indre-et-Loire
department, representing the city of Tours
. While he was close to the Gaullist UNR, he did not join a parliamentary group. In 1959, he was elected to the office of Mayor of Tours
, with the support of Charles de Gaulle
.
In the 1960s he led an expansion of the city, annexing the cities of Sainte-Radegonde-en-Touraine and de Saint-Symphorien in order to increase the surface area available for more constructions. His main accomplishment was the construction, in an area of four kilometres along the Cher River
, of housing and parks. This area included an artificial lake. He sparked controversy by supporting the construction of the A10
along Tours.
Described, within his own party, as an autocrat, Royer led a staunch policy vis-a-vis of social evolutions in the 1960s and 1970s. He outlawed pornographic films and brothels. In 1968 he expelled from Tours
Michel-Georges Micberth, who had founded a psychological and pathological research center.
government, leaving his seat vacant but stayed on as Mayor of Tours. During his tenure as Minister of Commerce, in December 1973, he wrote the Royer Law that regulated the construction of supermarkets that were more than 1000 m². In early 1974, he briefly served as Minister of the PTT
. On 11 April, he resigned from the government to be a candidate in the 1974 presidential election
.
He stood as the candidate of moral order, and polled up to 7%. However, his candidacy became a fiasco. He multiplied gaffes: he resigned from the government, unlike Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
; he installed his headquarters in Tours
and not in Paris, and refused to take the plane during the campaign. His meetings were also a fiasco, in Toulouse
the majority of his listeners were young students who laughed at him and yelled obscene sexual slogans. A young women even went to the extent of undressing in front of the camera.
He won 810,540 votes, or 3.17%. Most of his votes came from Indre-et-Loire
, where he broke 30%.
and won his old seat back in a by-election in 1976. His term as mayor became difficult in the wake of the economic crises. In the 1980s the city was hit by economic stagnation and many factories in the suburbs closed down, such as SKF
in 1989. He was, however, credited with the extension of the TGV line to Tours and the construction of a congress center. Following his re-election in the 1993 election
he joined the parliamentary group République et liberté (composed of the Left Radical Party
, the MDC
, and other independents). He also served as leader of République et liberté.
In the 1995 local elections
, he was defeated in his bid for re-election in a three-way race with the PS and RPR. The PS Jean Germain was elected.
In the 2002 presidential election
he supported the candidacy of Jean-Pierre Chevènement
, before retiring from politics. In 2004 and 2007 he was hospitalized for "serious" health issues.
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
.
Mayor of Tours
born in NeversNevers
Nevers is a commune in – and the administrative capital of – the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne region in central France...
, Nièvre, Royer was at first a teacher. In 1958
French legislative election, 1958
- National Assembly by Parliamentary Group:...
he was elected as a right-wing deputy from the Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers.-History:Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department, representing the city of Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
. While he was close to the Gaullist UNR, he did not join a parliamentary group. In 1959, he was elected to the office of Mayor of Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, with the support of 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 the 1960s he led an expansion of the city, annexing the cities of Sainte-Radegonde-en-Touraine and de Saint-Symphorien in order to increase the surface area available for more constructions. His main accomplishment was the construction, in an area of four kilometres along the Cher River
Cher River
The Cher is a river in central France, left tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Creuse département, north-east of Crocq. It joins the river Loire in Villandry, west of Tours....
, of housing and parks. This area included an artificial lake. He sparked controversy by supporting the construction of the A10
A10 autoroute (France)
The A10, also called L'Aquitaine, is an Autoroute in France, running for 549 km from the A6 south of Paris to the A630 at Bordeaux. It generally parallels the N10 Route Nationale, but deviates significantly from the older N10 between Paris and Tours and between Poitiers and Bordeaux...
along Tours.
Described, within his own party, as an autocrat, Royer led a staunch policy vis-a-vis of social evolutions in the 1960s and 1970s. He outlawed pornographic films and brothels. In 1968 he expelled from Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
Michel-Georges Micberth, who had founded a psychological and pathological research center.
1974 candidacy
In 1973 he entered the Pierre MessmerPierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
government, leaving his seat vacant but stayed on as Mayor of Tours. During his tenure as Minister of Commerce, in December 1973, he wrote the Royer Law that regulated the construction of supermarkets that were more than 1000 m². In early 1974, he briefly served as Minister of the PTT
Postes, télégraphes et téléphones (France)
Postes, télégraphes et téléphones was the French public administration of postal services and telecommunications. Formed in 1921, it was split in 1991 into La Poste and France Télécom....
. On 11 April, he resigned from the government to be a candidate in the 1974 presidential election
French presidential election, 1974
Presidential elections were held in :France in 1974, following the death of President Georges Pompidou. They went to a second round, and were won by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing by a margin of 1.6%...
.
He stood as the candidate of moral order, and polled up to 7%. However, his candidacy became a fiasco. He multiplied gaffes: he resigned from the government, unlike Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
; he installed his headquarters in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and not in Paris, and refused to take the plane during the campaign. His meetings were also a fiasco, in 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...
the majority of his listeners were young students who laughed at him and yelled obscene sexual slogans. A young women even went to the extent of undressing in front of the camera.
He won 810,540 votes, or 3.17%. Most of his votes came from Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France named after the Indre and the Loire rivers.-History:Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, where he broke 30%.
Later life
After the presidential fiasco, Royer returned to ToursTours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
and won his old seat back in a by-election in 1976. His term as mayor became difficult in the wake of the economic crises. In the 1980s the city was hit by economic stagnation and many factories in the suburbs closed down, such as SKF
SKF
SKF, Svenska Kullagerfabriken AB , later AB SKF, is a Swedish bearing company founded in 1907, supplying bearings, seals, lubrication and lubrication systems, maintenance products, mechatronics products, power transmission products and related services globally.-History:The company was founded on...
in 1989. He was, however, credited with the extension of the TGV line to Tours and the construction of a congress center. Following his re-election in the 1993 election
French legislative election, 1993
French legislative elections took place on 21 and 28 March 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.Since 1988, President François Mitterrand and his Socialist cabinets had relied on a relative parliamentary majority. Without the support of the Communists, Prime minister...
he joined the parliamentary group République et liberté (composed of the Left Radical Party
Left Radical Party
The Radical Party of the Left is a minor social-liberal, and in opposition to its common understanding of its name, a moderate centre-left political party in France advocating radicalism, secularism to its french extend known as laïcité, progressivism, pro-Europeanism, individual freedom and...
, the MDC
Citizen and Republican Movement
The Citizen and Republican Movement is a political party in France. The party replaced, in 2002, the Citizens' Movement founded by Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who left the Socialist Party in 1993 due to his opposition to the Persian Gulf War and to the Maastricht Treaty...
, and other independents). He also served as leader of République et liberté.
In the 1995 local elections
French municipal elections, 1995
Municipal elections were held in France on 11 and 18 June 1995, more or less than one month after Jacques Chirac's election.The far-right National Front elected 3 mayors in Provence: Toulon, Orange, Marignane. It was the first time the far-right led an executive alone. In other races, Jean Tiberi ...
, he was defeated in his bid for re-election in a three-way race with the PS and RPR. The PS Jean Germain was elected.
In the 2002 presidential election
French presidential election, 2002
The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in...
he supported the candidacy of Jean-Pierre Chevènement
Jean-Pierre Chevènement
Jean-Pierre Chevènement is a French politician. He was Minister of Defense from 1988 to 1991 and Minister of the Interior from 1997 to 2000. He was a presidential candidate in 2002 and since 2008 has been a member of the Senate....
, before retiring from politics. In 2004 and 2007 he was hospitalized for "serious" health issues.