Albert Lebrun
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Albert François Lebrun (born August 29, 1871 in Mercy-le-Haut , † March 6, 1950 in Paris ) was a French politician ( AD ), statesman and last President of the Third Republic from 1932 to 1940.
Life
Born in Lorraine , the son of wealthy landowners studied mining engineering and was the best of his class at the famous Parisian École polytechnique . Lebrun became a member of the eastern constituency of Meurthe-et-Moselle in 1900 and held several ministerial posts between 1911 and 1920, including being minister of war. Senator from 1920 to 1932, the moderate center-right politician was elected President of the Senate in 1931 and a year later the two chambers of parliament to succeed the murdered President Paul Doumer . During his first seven-year term in 1936, the left-wing parties were victorious and the Popular Front government was formed under the leadership of the socialist Léon Blum , whom he was reserved about. In April 1939 Lebrun was re-elected for a second term by a large majority; his socialist rival candidate was the former labor minister of the Popular Front government Albert Bedouce .
After France's military defeat by Hitler's Germany ( surrender-like armistice on June 22, 1940 ), Lebrun did not resign, but lost his office because the National Assembly relocated to Vichy transferred full executive power to Marshal Philippe Pétain and authorized him to act as Chef de l'État français to establish a new authoritarian regime (“ Vichy regime ”).
In August 1943, Lebrun was arrested by the Gestapo , deported to Germany and placed under arrest (including in Itter Castle in Tyrol ) , along with Blum and the former Prime Ministers Édouard Daladier , Paul Reynaud and Édouard Herriot and the former Ambassador André François-Poncet . After the war, his hopes for legalistic return to the top of the state were not fulfilled. In the high treason trial against Pétain (1945) he testified as a key witness .
literature
- André François-Poncet: Diary of a Prisoner. Memories of a witness of the century. Berlin 2015.
Web links
- Newspaper article about Albert Lebrun in the 20th century press kit of the ZBW - Leibniz Information Center for Economics .
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandre Millerand |
Minister of War of France January 12, 1913-21. January 1913 |
Eugène Etienne |
| Paul Doumer |
French Senate President June 11, 1931-10. May 1932 |
Jules Jeanneney |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lebrun, Albert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lebrun, Albert François (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French politician and last President of the Third Republic |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 29, 1871 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mercy-le-Haut |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 6, 1950 |
| Place of death | Paris |