Albert Lebrun

Biography

Its beginnings

Wire of a Farmer mayor of his small village, Albert Lebrun, noticed by his teacher, leaves to make his studies with the college of Nancy. Brilliance raises, it collects many prices and between with the Polytechnic school (Promotion X 1890), which it leaves first, before entering to the Corps of the Mines and also leaving first of the École des Mines in 1896.

Mining engineer to Vesoul, then in Nancy, it marries in 1902 Marguerite Nivoit, girl of the future principal of the mines, and has two children. Elected official, in 1898, general adviser of Audun-the-Novel then Appointed of Briey in 1900 the, youngest of France, then beating François de Wendel, it becomes, in 1906, president of the general advice of Meurthe-et-Moselle until in 1932. He is elected appointed of Briey of 1900 with 1920 (with an interruption to leave to the face to Verdun as commander artillery in August 1914) where he succeeds Alfred Mézières, then Senator of 1920 to 1932, it is president or general reporter in the two rooms of important commissions (budget, army, colonies).

Member of the democratic republican Alliance, often classified wrongly like pertaining to the democratic left, Albert Lebrun is moderate center then of right-hand side, opened with the social claims but anxious of carried out revolutionary. Catholic practitioner, it votes the law of separation of the Church and of the State but is opposed to its most repressive measurements.

Ministries

Appointed Minister for the Colonies at forty years in the governments Caillaux, Poincaré and Doumergue (1911-1914), Albert Lebrun impassions itself for the world of the colonies of which there remains one of the referents in the Entre-deux-guerres. He plays a big role in the Takeover by force of Agadir (July 1st 1911), preferring to yield part of Congo to Germany to gain in exchange a protectorate in Morocco and to avoid a conflict with Germany. Minister for the War a few days in January 1913, it takes an active part in the rebuilding of France, in 1917-1919, as Minister for the Blockade then areas released in the Clemenceau governments, implementing its taste pronounced for the economy and its vocation first of engineer. A dissension with Clemenceau in 1919 on the presence of Marine Louis, which had voted against the treaty of Versailles, on a joint list that it led for the legislative ones in his department, leads it to resign of the Government. Marked by the war of 1914-1918, he asks, without violence but resolutely, that the Germany pay his debts.

In the Years 1920, it represents France with the Société of the Nations. President of the sinking fund of 1926 to 1931, it takes part with his friend and Lorraine compatriot Raymond Poincaré in the recovery of the franc. He also chairs the board of directors of the National office of mutilated and reformed war and founds with other friends the Academy of Science coloniales.
He is elected president of the Sénat in 1931 against Jeanneney.

President of the Republic

First septennate

The May 10th 1932, after the assassination of Paul Doumer, it is elected president of the Republic, and re-elected the April 5th 1939. Its election has this of private individual who it intervenes before the new House of Commons, which has just been renewed, took its functions officially; thus of many beaten deputies take part in the vote: he is elected by a Room of right-hand side whereas the left will carry the legislative ones. Its function obliges it to undergo a presidency which leaves him in fact little room for maneuver to intervene in the political debate. He sees assembling the German danger and supports the reform proposals. In 1934, to surmount the crisis of February 6th, it names the former president of the Republic Gaston Doumergue with the presidency of the Council. Certain caricaturists (Sennep), to underline the emotion which it would have felt at the time of the events of February 6th, 1934, had fun to represent it in a lake of tears. A physical defect made indeed that its eyes ran more easily than at other people. In 1936, opposed to the Popular front, it accepts nevertheless, after having tried to avoid it, name the chief of the majority, Leon Blum, with the presidency of the Council and sign " death in the âme" , like he says it, the large texts of this political majority.

Second world war

In 1940, with Paul Reynaud, it is in favor of the departure for the North Africa and is opposed to the armistice. It is however led, in front of the majority current, to call the marshal Pétain with the presidency of the Council and the warn, in vain, against the harmful influence of Pierre Laval. He refuses to resign, thus obliging Pétain to circumvent it by the vote of the full powerss, the July 10th 1940, which draws aside it from the capacity. He withdraws himself then with Vizille (Isere) in his son-in-law, Jean Freysselinard. Placed under house arrest by the Italy NS, the latter, at the time to leave the area, advise to him without success to leave because the Germans will come to replace them. Contacted by Resistance for a exfiltration in Algeria, perhaps because Roosevelt wanted to give it in function as President to draw aside the general De Gaulle whom he did not love, Lebrun refused. But Hitler preferred to make it remove by the Gestapo with André François-Poncet; sent in Austria from September to October 1943, it finds there many politicians also taken as an hostage. When its health is degraded it is returned to France, Hitler undoubtedly fearing that it does not die apart from its country.

Transfer of power

In 1945, it in vain requires to transmit the capacity to the new authorities, as a president of the Republic elected until in 1946, and is received by the de Gaulle general who will say of him in his Memories: " As Head of the State, it had missed two things: that he was a chief; that it had État" there; ; this quotation is to be moderated because, under the Third Republic, the executive power was held by the President of the council and the mode rested on a plurality of capacities.

Post-war period

After the war, it gives conferences on the Third Republic or the iron and steel industry, and, of return of one of those, having taken cold, dies in 1950 in the apartment which it rents Beauséjour boulevard, where a plate points out its passage. National funeral with Notre-Dame de Paris is organized and it is buried in the cemetery of Mercy-le-Haut, where a monument with its memory will be built.

External bonds

Note of Albert Lebrun in annals of the École des Mines
more complete Biography and small virtual exposure on Albert Lebrun

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