Georges Leygues

Georges Leygues is a Politician French born with Villeneuve-sur-Lot (Lot-et-Garonne) on October 26th 1857 and dead on September 2nd 1933 with Saint-Cloud (Hauts-de-Seine).

Biography

Georges Leygues was born in Villeneuve-sur-Lot in a middle-class family from republican tradition. Attracted by the literature, and in particular poetry, it considers a career of naval officer then, on the refusal of his mother, makes her right and becomes lawyer.

It launches out quickly in the political career, becoming assistant with the mayor of Villeneuve-sur-Lot at 26 years. He is appointed of Lot-et-Garonne of 1885 with his death in 1933.

In Paris, he attends the literary circles where introduce Sully Prudhomme and José-Maria de Heredia, to which he had sent his first poetic tests.

He reaches the ministerial responsibilities at 38 years:

  • May 30th, 1894 at January 26th, 1895: Minister for the State education and the Art schools in the government of Charles Dupuy

  • January 26th at October 28th, 1895: Minister of Interior Department in the third government Alexandre Ribot
  • November 1st, 1898 at June 7th, 1902: Minister for the State education and the Art schools in the government of Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau: Its passage is marked by the reform of the secondary education of 1902, which in particular aims modernizing the teaching of humanities and at bringing closer primary and secondary education. Violently disputed with the House of Commons, the reform is adopted thanks to the tenacity of Georges Leygues.
  • March 14th at October 25th, 1906: Minister for the Colonies in the government Ferdinand Sarrien: He works to consolidate the ports of Bizerte, Dakar, Djibouti, Saigon, conquers Chad thanks to the conquest of the oasis of Bilma, is opposed to the development German counters in Black Africa, undertakes to organize teaching overseas.

Its ministerial career will stop during eleven years. In 1909, Alfred Chauchard, richissime founder of the Department stores of Louvre, bequeaths a sum of 12 franc million to him. In 1914, although it is 58 years old, Georges Leygues engages as captain in the Alpine hunters, but it is quickly recalled to Paris like chair commission of the Foreign affairs of the House of Commons.

In 1917, Clemenceau entrusts the ministry for the Navy to him which it will almost hold without stopping until its brutal death in 1933, if one excludes a short interlude as Foreign Minister and President of the Council of the Ministers for the September 24th 1920 with the January 16th 1921:

When Alexandre Millerand is elected with the presidency of the Republic to replace Paul Deschanel, he intends to assume an active role rather little in agreement with the habit of IIIe République since Jules Grévy. This ambition explains its choice to call Georges Leygues, whom one knows stripped of personal ambition, with the presidency of the council. Leygues will lend itself to the role which one intends to make him play but the claims of Millerand will highly be fought by the rooms which will force to call it Aristide Briand in January 1921.

It is before just like Minister for the Navy that Georges Leygues illustrated himself. It is in particular at the origin of the Naval Statute, submitted in 1920 to the Parliament, which will allow the rebirth of the French fleet, hard tested by the First World War.

He voted on July 3rd, 1905 the law of December 9th, 1905 concerning the separation of the Church and the State.

Governmental functions

Names

Its name was given to 2 buildings French National marine
  • the cruiser Georges Leygues, built in 1933
  • the frigate Georges Leygues, built in 1979

Random links:Canberra Raiders | Shigechiyo Izumi | Santa Fe (Argentina) | Asymptotic freedom | Pākehā | Le_Maroc_(film_1930)