Jean Médecin

Jean Médecin (born December 2, 1890 in Nice , † December 18, 1965 ibid) was a French politician. Among other things, he was Mayor of Nice from 1928 to 1943 and 1947 to 1965 .

Médecin came from an old family of notables . He studied law in Paris and served in the French army during World War I. In 1916, who had risen from corporal to captain, received the Croix de guerre after the Battle of Verdun and became a member of the Legion of Honor .

After the end of the war he worked briefly as a lawyer, but soon devoted himself full-time to politics. As a multifunctional Médecin not only acted as mayor, but also as a member (deputy) in the national parliament, from 1939 a member of the Senate. Médecin was initially one of the supporters of Marshal Philippe Pétain's regime and retained his offices, but in 1942 fell out with the Italian occupiers of Nice. He spent part of the year 1944 in their captivity. Allegations of collaboration caused only a brief interruption in his political career. From 1947 he held his most important offices again. 1955–1956 he served as State Secretary in the Council of Ministers.

Médecin was and remained a staunch opponent of Charles de Gaulle . In the 1965 presidential election, he therefore supported Jean Lecanuet in the first ballot and François Mitterrand in the second.

For most of the interwar period and for the period after 1945, Médecin's orientation can be defined as bourgeois-democratic or center-left to right-wing. In 1936, after the formation of the Popular Front government, he briefly joined the Parti populaire français , a fascist group.

From 1961 Mèdecin gave up several of his mandates to his son Jacques Médecin , who succeeded him as mayor from 1965 to 1990, but then had to flee due to a corruption affair.

Many of Nice's successful and problematic urban projects fall during Jean Médecin's tenure - such as the stilted city motorway over the railway tracks and several museum buildings. Médecin died in office. Today the avenue Jean-Médecin , one of the most important shopping streets in Nice, bears his name. Médecin was called "le roi Jean", or "Jan de Nissa" in the local dialect.

literature

Bernard Delias: Jean Médecin, Maire de Nice Nice 1976

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Médecin, Jean
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French politician, member of the National Assembly
DATE OF BIRTH	December 2, 1890
PLACE OF BIRTH	Nice
DATE OF DEATH	December 18, 1965
Place of death	Nice