Pierre Messmer
Encyclopedia
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer (pjɛʁ mɛsmɛʁ; 20 March 1916 29 August 2007) 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. A member of the French Foreign Legion
, he was considered as one of the historical Gaullists, and died aged 91 in the military hospital of the Val-de-Grâce
. He was elected a member of the Académie française
in 1999.
in 1916. He graduated in 1936 in the language school Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
and the following year at the Ecole nationale de la France d'outre-mer
(National School of Oversea France). He then became a senior civil servant in the colonial administration and became a Doctor of Laws in 1939. In the outbreaks of World War II, he was sous-lieutenant of the 12th regiment of Senegalese tirailleurs
, and refused France's capitulation after the defeat
. He then hijacked in Marseille
an Italian cargo, along with Jean Simon, and sailed first to Gibraltar, then London and engaged himself in the Free French Forces
as a member of the 13th Brigade of the French Foreign Legion
. Messmer then participated to the campaign in Eritrea
, in Syria
, in Libya
, participating to the Battle of Bir Hakeim
, and in the Tunisia campaign
. He also fought at the Battle of El Alamein
in Egypt. He joined in London General Koenig's military staff and participated to the landings in Normandy in August 1944
and the Liberation of Paris
.
Named Compagnon de la Libération in 1941, he received the Croix de guerre
(War Cross) with six citations after the Liberation, as well as the medal of the Resistance.
of the Vietminh, during two months in 1945, after the outbreaks of the Indochina War
. He was named the following year general secretary of the interministerial committee for Indochina
and then head of staff of the high commissary of the Republic.
In the 1950s, he pursued his career in Africa as a colonial administrator. Messmer began his high-level African service as governor of Mauritania
from 1952 to 1954, and then served as governor of Ivory Coast from 1954 to 1956. He came back to Paris in 1956, in the staff of Gaston Defferre
, Minister of Overseas Territories who enacted the Deferre Act granting to colonial territories internal autonomy, a first step towards independence.
in 1956, where a civil war had started the preceding year following the outlawing of the independentist Union of the Peoples of Cameroon
(UPC) in July 1955. Messmer initiated a decolonization
process and imported the counter-revolutionary warfare methods theorized in Indochina and implemented during the Algerian War (1954–62). Visiting de Gaulle in Paris, he was implicitly granted his authorization for the new turn implemented to the policies in Cameroon, substituting repression to negotiations with the UPC.
A "Pacification Zone" – the ZOPAC (Zone de pacification du Cameroon) was created on 9 December 1957, englobing 7,000 square km controlled by seven infantry regiments. Furthermore, a civilian-military intelligence apparatus was created, combining colonial and local staff, assisted by a civilian militia. Mao Zedong
's people's war was reversed, in an attempt to separate the civilian population from the guerrilla. In this aim, the local population was rounded-up in guarded villages located on the main roads, controlled by the French Army.
from January 1958 to July 1958, and finally served as high commissioner of French West Africa
from 1958 to 1959.
From 1959 to 1969, under Charles de Gaulle
's presidency and in the turmoil of the Algerian War, he was Minister of Armies. He was confronted to the 1961 Generals' Putsch, reorganized the Army
and adapted it to the nuclear era.
Along with the Minister of Research, Gaston Palewski
, Messmer was present at the Béryl nuclear test
in Algeria, on 1 May 1962, during which an accident occurred. Officials, soldiers and Algerian workers escaped as they could, often without wearing any protection. Palewski died in 1984 of leukemia
, which he always has attributed to the Beryl incident
, while Messmer always remained close-mouthed on the affair.
De Gaulle said of Messmer that, along with Maurice Couve de Murville
, he was "one of his two arms. " In May '68, he advised de Gaulle against the use of the military.
Messmer became a personality of the Gaullist Party
and was elected deputy in 1968
, representing Moselle
département. A member of the conservative wing of the Gaullist movement, he criticized the "New Society" plan of Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas
, and thus won the trust of Georges Pompidou
, elected President in 1969
. He quit the government after de Gaulle's resignation and founded the association Présence du gaullisme (Presence of Gaullism).
charged of the Overseas Territories in 1971, then as Prime Minister from July 1972 to May 1974.
, who had adopted a parliamentary reading of the Constitution, which Messmer opposed in his investiture speech. Messmer had been chosen by Pompidou as a guarant of his fidelity to de Gaulle, and his cabinet included personalities close to Pompidou, such as Jacques Chirac
, named Minister of Agriculture.
Due to President Georges Pompidou
's illness, he dealt with the everyday administration of the country and adopted a conservative stance opposed to Chaban-Delmas' previous policies. Henceforth, he stopped the liberalization of the ORTF media governmental organization, naming as its CEO Arthur Conte, a personal friend of Pompidou.
Under his government, the Union des Démocrates pour la République
(UDR) presidential majority negotiated with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
's Independent Republicans
an electoral alliance, which enabled it to win the 1973 elections
despite the left-wing union realized with the 1972 Common Program. Messmer's second cabinet excluded several Gaullists, among whom Michel Debré
, while he named several Independent Republicans members, such as Michel Poniatowski
, close to Giscard, himself named Minister of Economy and Finances. A Ministry of Information
was also re-created and put under the authority of an ultra-conservative, Philippe Malaud
. In June 1974, he initiated the construction of 13 nuclear plants
in order to confront the "choc pétrolier
" (oil crisis).
In 1974, when Pompidou died, those close to Messmer encouraged him to run for president. He accepted at the condition of Chaban-Delmas, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
and Edgar Faure
's withdrawals. Faure accepted, as well as Giscard on the condition that Chaban-Delmas also withdrew himself. However, Chaban-Delmas, despite the Canard enchaîné 's campaign against him, maintained himself, leading Messmer to withdraw his candidacy. Finally, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
, a conservative rival of the Gaullists, was elected
. He served as prime minister for another few weeks after Pompidou’s death, ending his term after the presidential elections. Jacques Chirac
replaced him on 29 May 1974. After the election of Giscard, he never held again ministerial offices, and became one of the historical voices of Gaullism.
regional assembly from 1968 to 1992. He was mayor of the town of Sarrebourg
from 1971 to 1989. Messmer was also president of the Rally for the Republic
(RPR) parliamentary group during the first cohabitation
(1986–1988), under Jacques Chirac
' government. In 1997 he testified as a witness during the trial of Maurice Papon
, charged of crimes against humanity committed under the Vichy regime, and declared: "The time has come when the Frenchmen could stop hating themselves and begin to grant pardon to themselves.". Along with some other former Resistants, he demanded Papon's pardon
in 2001.
He died in 2007 aged 91, just four days after fellow Prime Minister Raymond Barre
. He was the last surviving major French Politician to have been a member of the Free French forces.
Electoral mandates
National Assembly
Regional Council
General Council
Municipal Council
, and the recipient of numerous decorations including the highest rank of the Légion d'honneur
. In 2006, he was named Chancellier de l'Ordre de la Libération after the death of General Alain de Boissieu
. He was also an officer of the American Legion
.
In 1992 he became president of the Institut Charles de Gaulle and, in 1995, of the Fondation Charles de Gaulle.
He also became elected as a member of the Académie française
(the French language academy) in 1999, replacing a Gaullist comrade, Maurice Schumann
. He was also a member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences since 1988, and, since 1976, of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer (Academy of Sciences of Overseas Territories). He was named perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in 1995. He was also chancellor of the Institut de France
(1998–2005) before becoming honorary chancellor.
In October 2001, Messmer succeeded to the General Jean Simon as President of the Fondation de la France libre (Foundation of Free France).
Changes
Changes
Changes
Minister of Defence (France)
The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France....
under 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....
from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul
Étienne-François, comte de Stainville, duc de Choiseul was a French military officer, diplomat and statesman. Between 1758 and 1761, and 1766 and 1770, he was Foreign Minister of France and had a strong influence on France's global strategy throughout the period...
under Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
– and then as Prime Minister under 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:...
from 1972 to 1974. A member of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, he was considered as one of the historical Gaullists, and died aged 91 in the military hospital of the Val-de-Grâce
Val-de-Grâce
This article describes the hospital and former abbey. For the main article on Mansart and Lemercier's central church, see Church of the Val-de-Grâce....
. He was elected a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
in 1999.
Early career
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was born in VincennesVincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
in 1916. He graduated in 1936 in the language school Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
The Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales is located in Paris, France. It was founded in 1795 after the French Revolution and is now one of the country's Grands établissements with a specialization in African, Asian, East European, Oceanian languages and civilisations...
and the following year at the Ecole nationale de la France d'outre-mer
École nationale de la France d'Outre-mer
The École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer was a French grande école, providing training for future colonial administrators...
(National School of Oversea France). He then became a senior civil servant in the colonial administration and became a Doctor of Laws in 1939. In the outbreaks of World War II, he was sous-lieutenant of the 12th regiment of Senegalese tirailleurs
Senegalese Tirailleurs
The Senegalese Tirailleurs were a corps of colonial infantry in the French Army recruited from Senegal,French West Africa and throughout west, central and east Africa, the main province of the French colonial empire...
, and refused France's capitulation after the defeat
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. He then hijacked 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...
an Italian cargo, along with Jean Simon, and sailed first to Gibraltar, then London and engaged himself in the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
as a member of the 13th Brigade of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
. Messmer then participated to the campaign in Eritrea
East African Campaign (World War II)
The East African Campaign was a series of battles fought in East Africa during World War II by the British Empire, the British Commonwealth of Nations and several allies against the forces of Italy from June 1940 to November 1941....
, in Syria
Syria-Lebanon campaign
The Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
, in Libya
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
, participating to the Battle of Bir Hakeim
Battle of Bir Hakeim
Bir Hakeim is a remote oasis in the Libyan desert, and the former site of a Turkish fort. During the Battle of Gazala, the 1st Free French Division of General Marie Pierre Kœnig defended the site from 26 May-11 June 1942 against attacking German and Italian forces directed by Lieutenant-General ...
, and in the Tunisia campaign
Tunisia Campaign
The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
. He also fought at the Battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
in Egypt. He joined in London General Koenig's military staff and participated to the landings in Normandy in August 1944
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and the Liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
.
Named Compagnon de la Libération in 1941, he received the Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(War Cross) with six citations after the Liberation, as well as the medal of the Resistance.
After World War II
After World War II, he returned to the colonies and was a prisoner of warPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the Vietminh, during two months in 1945, after the outbreaks of the Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
. He was named the following year general secretary of the interministerial committee for Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
and then head of staff of the high commissary of the Republic.
In the 1950s, he pursued his career in Africa as a colonial administrator. Messmer began his high-level African service as governor of Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
from 1952 to 1954, and then served as governor of Ivory Coast from 1954 to 1956. He came back to Paris in 1956, in the staff of Gaston Defferre
Gaston Defferre
Gaston Defferre was a French socialist politician.-Biography:Lawyer and member of the French Section of the Workers' International political party, he was a member of the Brutus Network, a Resistance Socialist group during World War II...
, Minister of Overseas Territories who enacted the Deferre Act granting to colonial territories internal autonomy, a first step towards independence.
Governor of Cameroun
Nominated as governor general of CamerounCameroun
Cameroun was a French and British mandate territory in central Africa, now constituting the majority of the territory of the Republic of Cameroon....
in 1956, where a civil war had started the preceding year following the outlawing of the independentist Union of the Peoples of Cameroon
Union of the Peoples of Cameroon
The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon is a political party in Cameroon.-History:UPC was founded on April 10, 1948, at a meeting in the bar Chez Sierra in Bassa. 12 men assisted the founding meeting, including Charles Assalé, Léonard Bouli, and Guillaume Bagal. The majority of the participants were...
(UPC) in July 1955. Messmer initiated a decolonization
Decolonization
Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the unequal relation of polities whereby one people or nation establishes and maintains dependent Territory over another...
process and imported the counter-revolutionary warfare methods theorized in Indochina and implemented during the Algerian War (1954–62). Visiting de Gaulle in Paris, he was implicitly granted his authorization for the new turn implemented to the policies in Cameroon, substituting repression to negotiations with the UPC.
A "Pacification Zone" – the ZOPAC (Zone de pacification du Cameroon) was created on 9 December 1957, englobing 7,000 square km controlled by seven infantry regiments. Furthermore, a civilian-military intelligence apparatus was created, combining colonial and local staff, assisted by a civilian militia. Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's people's war was reversed, in an attempt to separate the civilian population from the guerrilla. In this aim, the local population was rounded-up in guarded villages located on the main roads, controlled by the French Army.
Minister of Armies (1959–1969)
He then briefly served as high commissioner of French Equatorial AfricaFrench Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa or the AEF was the federation of French colonial possessions in Middle Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River to the Sahara Desert.-History:...
from January 1958 to July 1958, and finally served as high commissioner of French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
from 1958 to 1959.
From 1959 to 1969, under 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....
's presidency and in the turmoil of the Algerian War, he was Minister of Armies. He was confronted to the 1961 Generals' Putsch, reorganized the Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
and adapted it to the nuclear era.
Along with the Minister of Research, Gaston Palewski
Gaston Palewski
Gaston Palewski , French politician, was a close associate of Charles de Gaulle during and after World War II. He is also remembered as the lover of the English novelist Nancy Mitford, and appears in a fictionalised form in two of her novels.-Biography:Palewski was born in Paris, the son of an...
, Messmer was present at the Béryl nuclear test
Agathe (atomic test)
Agathe was the name of the first French nuclear underground test. It was an atomic bomb detonated in the Hoggar mount of the then French Sahara desert on November 21, 1961, during the Algerian War ....
in Algeria, on 1 May 1962, during which an accident occurred. Officials, soldiers and Algerian workers escaped as they could, often without wearing any protection. Palewski died in 1984 of leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, which he always has attributed to the Beryl incident
Béryl incident
The "Béryl incident" was a French nuclear test, conducted on May 1 1962, during which nine soldiers of the 621st Groupe d'Armes Spéciales unit were heavily contaminated by radiation....
, while Messmer always remained close-mouthed on the affair.
De Gaulle said of Messmer that, along with Maurice Couve de Murville
Maurice Couve de Murville
Maurice Couve de Murville was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaulle....
, he was "one of his two arms. " In May '68, he advised de Gaulle against the use of the military.
Messmer became a personality of the Gaullist Party
Gaullist Party
In France, the Gaullist Party is usually used to refer to the largest party professing to be Gaullist. Gaullism claimed to transcend the left/right rift...
and was elected deputy in 1968
French legislative election, 1968
- National Assembly by Parliamentary Group:...
, representing Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département. A member of the conservative wing of the Gaullist movement, he criticized the "New Society" plan of Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Jacques Chaban-Delmas was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. In addition, for almost half a century, he was Mayor of Bordeaux and a deputy for the Gironde département....
, and thus won the trust of 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:...
, elected President in 1969
French presidential election, 1969
The 1969 French presidential election took place on 1 June and 15 June 1969. It occurred due to the resignation of President Charles de Gaulle on 28 April 1969. Indeed, De Gaulle had decided to consult the voters by referendum about regionalisation and the reform of the Senate, and he had announced...
. He quit the government after de Gaulle's resignation and founded the association Présence du gaullisme (Presence of Gaullism).
From the 1970s to the 2000s
He occupied cabinet positions again in the 1970s, serving first as Minister of stateMinister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
charged of the Overseas Territories in 1971, then as Prime Minister from July 1972 to May 1974.
Messmer's cabinet (July 1972 – May 1974)
He succeeded in this function to Jacques Chaban-DelmasJacques Chaban-Delmas
Jacques Chaban-Delmas was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. In addition, for almost half a century, he was Mayor of Bordeaux and a deputy for the Gironde département....
, who had adopted a parliamentary reading of the Constitution, which Messmer opposed in his investiture speech. Messmer had been chosen by Pompidou as a guarant of his fidelity to de Gaulle, and his cabinet included personalities close to Pompidou, such as Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, named Minister of Agriculture.
Due to President 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:...
's illness, he dealt with the everyday administration of the country and adopted a conservative stance opposed to Chaban-Delmas' previous policies. Henceforth, he stopped the liberalization of the ORTF media governmental organization, naming as its CEO Arthur Conte, a personal friend of Pompidou.
Under his government, the Union des Démocrates pour la République
Union des Démocrates pour la République
The Union for the Defence of the Republic or Union of Democrats for the Republic , commonly abbreviated UDR, was a Gaullist political party of France from 1968 to 1976....
(UDR) presidential majority negotiated with 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...
's Independent Republicans
Independent Republicans
The Independent Republicans were a French liberal-conservative political group founded in 1962, which became a political party in 1966 . The leader was Valéry Giscard d'Estaing....
an electoral alliance, which enabled it to win the 1973 elections
French legislative election, 1973
French legislative elections took place on 4 and 11 March 1973 to elect the 5th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.In order to end the May 1968 crisis, President Charles de Gaulle dissolved the National Assembly and his party, the Gaullist Party Union of Democrats for the Republic , obtained...
despite the left-wing union realized with the 1972 Common Program. Messmer's second cabinet excluded several Gaullists, among whom Michel Debré
Michel Debré
Michel Jean-Pierre Debré was a French Gaullist politician. He is considered the "father" of the current Constitution of France, and was the first Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic...
, while he named several Independent Republicans members, such as Michel Poniatowski
Michel Poniatowski
Michel Poniatowski was a Polish Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the d'Estaing government...
, close to Giscard, himself named Minister of Economy and Finances. A Ministry of Information
Minister of Information (France)
The Minister of Information was a cabinet member in the Government of France from 1938 to 1974. The position no longer exists.-Ministers of Information:*Ludovic-Oscar Frossard 13 March 1938 - 10 April 1938...
was also re-created and put under the authority of an ultra-conservative, Philippe Malaud
Philippe Malaud
Philippe Malaud was a French diplomat and politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1956. From 1968 until 1978, he was a member of the Independent Republicans....
. In June 1974, he initiated the construction of 13 nuclear plants
Nuclear power in France
Nuclear power is the primary source of electric power in France. In 2004, 425.8 TWh out of the country's total production of 540.6 TWh of electricity was from nuclear power , the highest percentage in the world....
in order to confront the "choc pétrolier
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
" (oil crisis).
In 1974, when Pompidou died, those close to Messmer encouraged him to run for president. He accepted at the condition of Chaban-Delmas, 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...
and Edgar Faure
Edgar Faure
Edgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
's withdrawals. Faure accepted, as well as Giscard on the condition that Chaban-Delmas also withdrew himself. However, Chaban-Delmas, despite the Canard enchaîné 's campaign against him, maintained himself, leading Messmer to withdraw his candidacy. Finally, 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...
, a conservative rival of the Gaullists, was elected
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 served as prime minister for another few weeks after Pompidou’s death, ending his term after the presidential elections. Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
replaced him on 29 May 1974. After the election of Giscard, he never held again ministerial offices, and became one of the historical voices of Gaullism.
Later career
He remained however a member of Parliament for the Moselle department until 1988, and served as President of the LorraineLorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
regional assembly from 1968 to 1992. He was mayor of the town of Sarrebourg
Sarrebourg
Sarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
from 1971 to 1989. Messmer was also president of the Rally for the Republic
Rally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
(RPR) parliamentary group during the first cohabitation
Cohabitation (government)
Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the...
(1986–1988), under Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
' government. In 1997 he testified as a witness during the trial of Maurice Papon
Maurice Papon
Maurice Papon was a French civil servant, industrial leader and Gaullist politician, who was convicted for crimes against humanity for his participation in the deportation of over 1600 Jews during World War II when he was secretary general for police of the Prefecture of Bordeaux.Papon also...
, charged of crimes against humanity committed under the Vichy regime, and declared: "The time has come when the Frenchmen could stop hating themselves and begin to grant pardon to themselves.". Along with some other former Resistants, he demanded Papon's pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
in 2001.
He died in 2007 aged 91, just four days after fellow Prime Minister Raymond Barre
Raymond Barre
Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three Presidents and later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981...
. He was the last surviving major French Politician to have been a member of the Free French forces.
Political career
Governmental functions- Prime Minister: 1972–1974
- Minister of State, Minister of Departments and Overseas Territories: 1971–1972
- Minister of Armies: 1960–1969
Electoral mandates
National Assembly
- Member of the National Assembly of France for MoselleMoselleMoselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
: 1969–1971, 1974–1988
Regional Council
- President of the Regional Council of LorraineLorraine (région)Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
: 1978–1979 - Regional councillor of LorraineLorraine (région)Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
: 1968–1992
General Council
- General councillor of MoselleMoselleMoselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
: 1970–1982
Municipal Council
- Mayor of SarrebourgSarrebourgSarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
: 1971–1989 - Municipal councillor of SarrebourgSarrebourgSarrebourg is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It lies in on the upper course of the river Sarre.It should not be confused with Saarburg in Germany....
: 1971–1989
Honours
An important figure of the French Resistance during World War II, Pierre Messmer was a member of the Ordre de la LibérationOrdre de la Libération
The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
, and the recipient of numerous decorations including the highest rank of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. In 2006, he was named Chancellier de l'Ordre de la Libération after the death of General Alain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu was a French general, Free French, Compagnon de la Libération, Army chief of staff and son-in-law of general Charles de Gaulle.-Life:...
. He was also an officer of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
.
In 1992 he became president of the Institut Charles de Gaulle and, in 1995, of the Fondation Charles de Gaulle.
He also became elected as a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
(the French language academy) in 1999, replacing a Gaullist comrade, Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou in the 1960s and 1970s...
. He was also a member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences since 1988, and, since 1976, of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer (Academy of Sciences of Overseas Territories). He was named perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in 1995. He was also chancellor of the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
(1998–2005) before becoming honorary chancellor.
In October 2001, Messmer succeeded to the General Jean Simon as President of the Fondation de la France libre (Foundation of Free France).
Messmer's First Ministry, 6 July 1972 – 2 April 1973
- Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister
- Maurice SchumannMaurice SchumannMaurice Schumann was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou in the 1960s and 1970s...
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Michel DebréMichel DebréMichel Jean-Pierre Debré was a French Gaullist politician. He is considered the "father" of the current Constitution of France, and was the first Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic...
– Minister of National Defense - Raymond MarcellinRaymond MarcellinRaymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
– Minister of the Interior - Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
– Minister of Economy and Finance - Jean Charbonnel – Minister of Industrial and Scientific Development
- Joseph FontanetJoseph FontanetJoseph Fontanet was a French politician.He was first elected to Parliament in 1956 as MP for Savoie. In his 17 years in Parliament he held various cabinet positions including Health, Labour and Employment, and trade and industry. He succeeded Bernard Chenot, one of the first openly gay officials...
– Minister of National Education, Labour, Employment, and Population - René PlevenRené PlevenRené Pléven was a notable French politician of the Fourth Republic. A member of the Free French, he helped found the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance , a political party that was meant to be a successor to the wartime Resistance movement...
– Minister of Justice - André Bord – Minister of Veterans
- Jacques Duhamel – Minister of Cultural Affairs
- Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
– Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Olivier GuichardOlivier GuichardOlivier Guichard was a French politician. He was born in Néac and joined the French Army in 1944 and served until the end of World War II, during which, he earned the Médaille militaire and the Croix de guerre. At the end of his life he also was a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur.In 1947, he...
– Minister of Housing, Tourism, Equipment, and Regional Planning - Robert Galley – Minister of Transport
- Jean FoyerJean FoyerJean Foyer was a French politician and minister. He studied law and became a law professor at the university...
– Minister of Public Health - Hubert Germain – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
- Yvon Bourges – Minister of Commerce
- Roger FreyRoger FreyRoger Frey was a French politician. He was Minister of the Interior and president of the Constitutional Council of France.-Monokini prosecution:...
– Minister of Administrative Reforms - Edgar FaureEdgar FaureEdgar Faure was a French politician, essayist, historian, and memoirist.-Career:Faure was born in Béziers, Languedoc-Roussillon. He trained as a lawyer in Paris and became a member of the Bar at 27, the youngest lawyer in France to do so at the time...
– Minister of Social Affairs
Changes
- 15 March 1973 – André BettencourtAndré BettencourtAndré Bettencourt was a French politician. He had been awarded the Croix de Guerre, and is a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor...
succeeds Schumann as interim Minister of Foreign Affairs. - 16 March 1973 – Pierre Messmer succeeds Pleven as interim Minister of Justice.
Messmer's Second Ministry, 6 April 1973 – 1 March 1974
- Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister
- Michel JobertMichel JobertMichel Jobert was a French politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou, and as Minister of External Commerce under François Mitterrand....
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Robert Galley – Minister of Armies
- Raymond MarcellinRaymond MarcellinRaymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
– Minister of the Interior - Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
– Minister of Economy and Finance - Jean Charbonnel – Minister of Industrial and Scientific Development
- Georges GorseGeorges GorseGeorges Gorse was a French politician and diplomat.Born in Cahors, he qualified in 1939 as a professor at the University of Cairo...
– Minister of Labour, Employment, and Population - Jean TaittingerJean TaittingerJean Taittinger is a former French politician and member of the champagne producing Taittinger family.-Political career:Taittinger was Minister of Budget between January 7, 1971 and April 5, 1973...
– Minister of Justice - Joseph FontanetJoseph FontanetJoseph Fontanet was a French politician.He was first elected to Parliament in 1956 as MP for Savoie. In his 17 years in Parliament he held various cabinet positions including Health, Labour and Employment, and trade and industry. He succeeded Bernard Chenot, one of the first openly gay officials...
– Minister of National Education - André Bord – Minister of Veterans and War Victims
- Maurice DruonMaurice DruonMaurice Druon was a French novelist and a member of the Académie française.Born in Paris, France, Druon was the nephew of the writer Joseph Kessel, with whom he translated the Chant des Partisans, a French Resistance anthem of World War II, with music and words originally by Anna Marly.In 1948...
– Minister of Cultural Affairs - Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
– Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Robert PoujadeRobert PoujadeRobert Poujade is a former French politician. He was mayor of Dijon from 1971 to 2001.-References:...
– Minister of Natural Protection and Environment - Bernard StasiBernard StasiBernard Stasi was a French politician. He is the son of Italo-Mexican immigrants. Stasi served as Minister for Overseas Departments and Territories from 2 April 1973 to 27 February 1974....
– Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories - Olivier GuichardOlivier GuichardOlivier Guichard was a French politician. He was born in Néac and joined the French Army in 1944 and served until the end of World War II, during which, he earned the Médaille militaire and the Croix de guerre. At the end of his life he also was a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur.In 1947, he...
– Minister of Housing, Tourism, Regional Planning, and Equipment - Yves GuénaYves GuénaYves Guéna is a French politician. In 1940, he joined the Free French Forces in the United Kingdom. He received several decorations for his courage....
– Minister of Transport - Joseph Comiti – Minister of Relations with Parliament
- Michel PoniatowskiMichel PoniatowskiMichel Poniatowski was a Polish Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the d'Estaing government...
– Minister of Public Health - Hubert Germain – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
- Philippe MalaudPhilippe MalaudPhilippe Malaud was a French diplomat and politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1956. From 1968 until 1978, he was a member of the Independent Republicans....
– Minister of Information - Jean RoyerJean RoyerJean Royer was a French catholic and conservative politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of Tours.-Mayor of Tours:...
– Minister of Commerce and Craft Industry - Alain PeyrefitteAlain PeyrefitteAlain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
– Minister of Administrative Reforms
Changes
- 23 October 1973 – Philippe MalaudPhilippe MalaudPhilippe Malaud was a French diplomat and politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1956. From 1968 until 1978, he was a member of the Independent Republicans....
becomes Minister of Civil Service. Jean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe Lecat was a French politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1963....
succeeds Malaud as Minister of Information
Messmer's Third Ministry, 1 March – 28 May 1974
- Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister
- Michel JobertMichel JobertMichel Jobert was a French politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou, and as Minister of External Commerce under François Mitterrand....
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Robert Galley – Minister of Armies
- Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
– Minister of the Interior - Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
– Minister of Economy and Finance - Yves GuénaYves GuénaYves Guéna is a French politician. In 1940, he joined the Free French Forces in the United Kingdom. He received several decorations for his courage....
– Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Craft Industry - Georges GorseGeorges GorseGeorges Gorse was a French politician and diplomat.Born in Cahors, he qualified in 1939 as a professor at the University of Cairo...
– Minister of Labour, Employment, and Population - Jean TaittingerJean TaittingerJean Taittinger is a former French politician and member of the champagne producing Taittinger family.-Political career:Taittinger was Minister of Budget between January 7, 1971 and April 5, 1973...
– Minister of Justice - Joseph FontanetJoseph FontanetJoseph Fontanet was a French politician.He was first elected to Parliament in 1956 as MP for Savoie. In his 17 years in Parliament he held various cabinet positions including Health, Labour and Employment, and trade and industry. He succeeded Bernard Chenot, one of the first openly gay officials...
– Minister of National Education - Alain PeyrefitteAlain PeyrefitteAlain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
– Minister of Cultural Affairs and Environment - Raymond MarcellinRaymond MarcellinRaymond Marcellin was a French politician.- Biography :The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the Wehrmacht, but managed to...
– Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Olivier GuichardOlivier GuichardOlivier Guichard was a French politician. He was born in Néac and joined the French Army in 1944 and served until the end of World War II, during which, he earned the Médaille militaire and the Croix de guerre. At the end of his life he also was a grand officer of the Légion d'honneur.In 1947, he...
– Minister of Regional Planning and Equipment - Hubert Germain – Minister of Relations with Parliament
- Michel PoniatowskiMichel PoniatowskiMichel Poniatowski was a Polish Prince and French politician. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the d'Estaing government...
– Minister of Public Health - Jean RoyerJean RoyerJean Royer was a French catholic and conservative politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of Tours.-Mayor of Tours:...
– Minister of Posts and Telecommunications - Jean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe LecatJean-Philippe Lecat was a French politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1963....
– Minister of Information
Changes
- 11 April 1974 – Hubert Germain succeeds Royer as interim Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.