Picture | Name | Born-Died | Presidency Start | Presidency End | Party | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charles-Francois Lebrun | March 19, 1739 - June 16, 1824 | November 10, 1799 | February 30, 1806 | Reformist (Republican from 1803) | Became President after the Paris coup (November 9, 1799) without holding election. Formed Reformist party to bring order to France's unorganized government. Held first elections (February 1, 1803) of which 100,000 people voted. Defeated in 1806 by former ally Paul Barras. | |
Paul Barras | June 30, 1755 - June 18, 1817 | February 30, 1806 | March 1, 1815 | Socialist | France's 2nd President, very popular with the people (1806 - 1813) but after losing all of Franc's remaining colonies in 1813 he quickly fell out of favor. But rather than resigning to make way for another member of his party Barras decided to hold an election which was won by Brune by a landslide. This was to haunt the Socialist party so much so that they didn't win an election for 50 years. | |
Guillaume Marie Anne Brune | March 13, 1763 - July 15, 1815 | March 1, 1815 | July 15, 1815 | Conservative | The first serving army officer to become President. Highly popular after defeating an attempted Prusso - Dutch invasion (1810) and heroicly to the last at the Battle of Metz. His main policy was the promise of an expansion of France's borders but he was unable to fulfill this dream when he was shot while attending a military parade after being president for only 4 months. | |
Pierre Claude Francois Daunou | August 18, 1761 - June 20, 1840 | July 15, 1815 | July 20, 1821 | Conservative | Brune's trusted friend, although opposing Brune's policy of conquest he did support a larger and better organized and supplied army. In 1819 he entered France into the 4th coalition against the Latinians along with Britain and the Prusso - Dutch. | |
Charles Maurice Talleyrand | February 2, 1754 - May 17, 1838 | July 20, 1821 | June 31, 1830 | Republican | Talleyrand was the first President to openly suggest the return of the monarchy (1829) after which he fell out of favor. | |
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan | April 29, 1762 - November 23 1833 | June 31, 1830 | July 29, 1833 | Conservative | A highly distinguished officer who had been appointed Marshal of the Republic in 1815 and commander in chief of the army in 1821. He wasn't a very good politician but seemed good compared with the rest at the time. The most he did for France was to erect a huge statue of Brune in Paris to celebrate the man who made him Marshal. When Murat came along in 1833 though France finally got a decent President. | |
Achille Murat | January 21, 1801 - April 15, 1847 | July 29, 1833 | April 15, 1847 | Republican | Murat was said to be such a wonderful President that only his death voted him out. He fought some wars against Spain and in doing so won control of the Azores and Canary islands. But when he died in 1847 rather than a member of his party taking power Etienne Gerard seized control of the Presidency. | |
Etienne Maurice Gerard | April 4, 1773 - April 17, 1852 | April 15, 1847 | March 20, 1850 | Monarchist | Gerard's political coup of April 15, 1847 swiftly made him president but right from the start his Authoritarian regime was loathed by all other French politicians. He had formed his party on April 1st and when he came to power it had only 11 members. Several attempted revolutions were mercilessly crushed by the army and the only partially successful coup was launched by the republican guard, the presidents own bodyguard. This resulted in many of his pro monarchy laws being banned and thwarted his plans to restore the monarchy in 1849. He knew that he would lose an election so when the time came on March 20, 1850 he disbanded the Monarchist party. | |
Odilon Barrot | July 19, 1791 - August 6, 1871 | March 20, 1850 | April 1, 1859 | Conservative | Odilon Barrot is the most successful French conservative politician to date. During his first time as President (1850 - 59) he gave the French people more trust in their government and made parliament bigger. He also rebuilt France's economy and tried to get rid of corruption in France's army. It came as a shock to Barrot when in 1859 he was defeated (although only marginally) by Ex army officer Mac-Mahon. | |
Patrice de Mac-Mahon | July 13, 1808 - January 30, 1890 | April 1, 1859 | March 25, 1862 | Republican | France's 10th President and 4th Republican one Patrice Mac-Mahon had a lot to live up to. And he did. In 1860 he passed The Liberte agreement with Luxembourg which gave a 50 year military alliance and increased trade routes between the 2 countries. He gave increased support to the Union side in the American Civil war. But then again in 1862 there was a marginal victory for Barrot. | |
Odilon Barrot | ' ' ' | March 25, 1862 | February 5, 1865 | Conservative | Barrot's government ceased to give any support to the Unionists in American which was to be their downfall and by the time Jacques Randon became president the war was all but over. Barrot's isolationist policy also came into play and when he tried to destroy the Liberte agreement in early 1865 parliament voted him out of power and instead replaced him with a Parliamentarily elected president. | |
Jacques Louis Randon | March 25, 1795 - June 3, 1867 | February 5, 1865 | June 3, 1867 | Socialist | Randon was a very easy president he was hated by few but liked by fewer. The only policy he had was to send arms to help the Unionists but when the ceasefire was signed in 1866 he had a mental breakdown. But although confined to his bed he remained president until he died in 1867. | |
Patrice de Mac-Mahon | ' ' ' | June 3, 1867 | June 15, 1879 | Republican | Took control in a similar style to Gerard but this time without the discontent. He signed a non aggression pact with the empire of the Latins in 1869 and when Spain was occupied by the Latinians in 1873 he took control of the Canary islands for France. In 1874 he defeated the Tunisians and annexed all of the Morocco and Algerian regions. He also extended the voting age so that in 1876 88% of all men aged 20+ voted. | |
Louis Buffet | October 26, 1818 - December 7, 1913 | June 15, 1879 | March 3, 1882 | Conservative | Buffet's rule was only 3 years and he should have been President for much longer than that. He was very capable and organised local governments therefore giving people more power to govern there own regions. | |
Jules Simon | December 31, 1814 - March 12, 1897 | March 3, 1882 | June 20, 1882 | Socialist | Jules Simon was only France's 3rd Socialist president. His main policy was to disband large parts of the army but on June 20 1882 this policy was shattered after a military coup removed Simon from power and replaced him with Marshal Billot. | |
Jean-Baptiste Billot | August 15, 1828 - May 10, 1886 | June 20, 1882 | May 5, 1886 | Military Dictatorship | Billot was a very distinguished General. In 1865 Odilon Barrot had made him a Marshal of the republic and in 1876 he was appointed governor-General of morocco. Then in 1881 he was appointed chief of staff of the French army. But when Simon came to power he was dismayed at the fact he wanted to disband one third of the army. On June 15 the army mutinyed and on 20 they arrested Simon and Clemenceau, secretary of the Socialist party. A military Junta then ruled france for 4 years. But in 1886 Mac-Mahon's position in the army gave him enough power to dissolve the Junta and restore democracy. | |
Patrice de Mac-Mahon | ' ' ' | May 5, 1886 | May 7, 1889 | Republican | His last time as president was no to be as glorious as his first 2. His main achievement being the establishment of French colonies in South America. Mac-Mahon resigned in favour of Simon at the time of election. | |
Jules Simon | ' ' ' | May 7, 1889 | March 12, 1897 | Socialist | ||
Georges Clemenceau | September 28, 1841 - May 3, 1912 | March 12, 1897 | April 1, 1900 | Socialist | ||
Pierre Waldeck Rousseau | December 2, 1846 - August 14, 1916 | April 1, 1900 | April 3, 1906 | Republican | ||
Georges Clemenceau | ' ' ' | April 3, 1906 | May 3, 1912 | Socialist | ||
Aristide Briand | March 28, 1862 - April 19, 1935 | May 3, 1912 | September 14, 1913 | Socialist | ||
Joseph Gallieni | April 24, 1849 - March 27, 1915 | September, 1913 | March 27, 1915 | Military | ||
Michel-Joseph Maunoury | December 17, 1847 - November 13, 1920 | March 27, 1915 | June 28, 1916 | Military | ||
Joseph Joffre | January 12, 1852 - April 23, 1939 | June 28, 1916 | January 1, 1919 | Military | ||
Aristide Briand | ' ' ' | January 1, 1919 | January 12, 1922 | Socialist | ||
Raymond Poincare | August 20, 1860 - October 15, 1934 | January 12, 1922 | March 3, 1927 | Conservative | ||
Andre Maginot | February 17, 1877 - July 25, 1946 | March 3, 1927 | August 16, 1930 | Conservative | ||
Georges Leygues | October 26, 1857 - November 1, 1934 | August 16, 1930 | July 3, 1933 | Republican | ||
Joseph Joffre | ' ' ' | July 3, 1933 | May 8, 1935 | Conservative | ||
Paul Doumer | March 27, 1857 - April 13, 1940 | May 8, 1935 | September 1, 1935 | Socialist | ||
Gaston Doumergue | August 1, 1863 - June 4, 1937 | September 1, 1935 | June 4, 1937 | Conservative | ||
Pierre Laval | June 28, 1883 - October 20, 1942 | June 4, 1937 | October 20, 1942 | Conservative | ||
Pierre-Etienne Fladin | April 12, 1889 - December 9, 1958 | October 20, 1942 | November 28, 1942 | Conservative | ||
Albert Lebrun | August 29, 1871 - March 6, 1950 | November 28, 1942 | December 1, 1945 | Republican | ||
Edouard Herriot | July 5, 1872 - May 26, 1957 | December 1, 1945 | December 31, 1951 | Socialist | ||
Alphonse Juin | December 16, 1888 - June 7, 1970 | December 31, 1951 | February 8, 1964 | Republican | ||
Joseph Laniel | October 12, 1889 - April 8, 1975 | February 8, 1964 | March 12, 1966 | Republican | ||
Antoine Pinay | December 30, 1891 - December 13, 1994 | March 12, 1966 | April 5, 1969 | Conservative | ||
Francois Mitterrand | October 26, 1916 - January 8, 1996 | April 5, 1969 | March 8, 1981 | Socialist | ||
Jean-Marie Le Pen | June 20, 1928 - August 15, 2006 | March 8, 1981 | February 31, 1990 | Conservative | Far Right President, | |
Pierre Mauroy | July 5, 1928 - | February 31, 1990 | January 1, 2002 | Socialist | ||
Francois Fillon | March 4, 1954 - | January 1, 2002 | January 19, 2008 | Conservative | ||
Francois Bayrou | May 25, 1951 - | January 19, 2008 | Incumbent | Republican |
Advertisement
Lists of Presidents of France (Italy Victorious)
Advertisement