Joseph Paul-Boncour
Joseph Paul-Boncour | |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 18 December 1932 – 31 January 1933 | |
| President | Albert Lebrun |
| Preceded by | Édouard Herriot |
| Succeeded by | Édouard Daladier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 August 1873 Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, France |
| Died | 28 March 1972 (aged 98) Paris, France |
| Party | PRS |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Augustin Alfred Joseph Paul-Boncour (French: [ʒozɛf pɔl bɔ̃kuʁ]; 4 August 1873 – 28 March 1972)[1] was a French politician and diplomat of the Third Republic. He was a member of the Republican-Socialist Party (PRS) and served as Prime Minister of France from December 1932 to January 1933. He also served in a number of other government positions during the 1930s and as a Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations in 1936 during his tenure as Minister of State. He has been described politically as a "centre-left republican".[2]
Career
Born in Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, Paul-Boncour received a law degree from the University of Paris and became active in the labor movement, organizing the legal council of the Bourses du Travail (workers' associations). He was private secretary to Premier Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau from 1898 to 1902. Elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a Radical in 1909, he held his seat until 1914, briefly serving as Minister of Labour from March to June 1911. After serving in the military during World War I, he returned to the French National Assembly. While a member of the Assembly, he became chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in 1928.[3] He was active at this time in attempts to encourage disarmament in Europe, with League of Nations negotiations with Germany in Geneva.[3] This also included advocating an international force for the cause of mutual assistance in the league which would act to deter aggression.[4] However his disarmament approach were the subjects of disagreement with opposition politicians under Léon Blum which resulted in Paul-Boncour resigning as the French delegate to the league.[3]
Turning to Socialism, he joined the SFIO in 1916. Paul-Boncour left the socialist party in 1931 because he considered imperative, in face of the League of Nations progressive powerlessness, to reinforce national defence, something the socialists opposed.[5] After his resignation from the SFIO in 1931 he joined the Republican-Socialist Party (PRS).
Ministerial roles
In 1931, Paul-Boncour was elected to the Senate, and served in that capacity until the establishment of the Vichy régime in 1940 (during World War II). During his time as a Senator, Paul-Boncour served in a variety of cabinet and diplomatic posts. He served as Minister of War in 1932. On 18 December 1932 he became Prime Minister of France and served briefly in this role until 28 January 1933.[6]
In 1935, his part PRS merged with the French Socialist Party (PSF) and the Socialist Party of France-Jean Jaurès Union (PSdF) to form the Socialist Republican Union (USR). He was the Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations from 1932 to 1936 and Foreign Minister on two occasions (31 December 1932 to 30 January 1934 and 13 March to 8 April 1938).[6]
Opposition
Paul-Boncour was opposed to the formation of the Vichy government, and recommended continuing the fight against Nazi Germany after the fall of France, from Algiers. As a member of the Consultative Assembly from 1944, he led the French delegation to the United Nations conference in San Francisco and signed the United Nations Charter on behalf of France. He once again served as a senator from 1946 to 1948.
Death
He died in Paris on 28 March 1972 at the age of 98.[7][8]
Paul-Boncour's Ministry, 18 December 1932 – 31 January 1933
- Joseph Paul-Boncour – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Édouard Daladier – Minister of War
- Camille Chautemps – Minister of the Interior
- Henri Chéron – Minister of Finance
- Albert Dalimier – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
- Abel Gardey – Minister of Justice
- Georges Leygues – Minister of Marine
- Léon Meyer – Minister of Merchant Marine
- Paul Painlevé – Minister of Air
- Anatole de Monzie – Minister of National Education
- Edmond Miellet – Minister of Pensions
- Henri Queuille – Minister of Agriculture
- Albert Sarraut – Minister of Colonies
- Georges Bonnet – Minister of Public Works
- Charles Daniélou – Minister of Public Health
- Laurent Eynac – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
- Julien Durand – Minister of Commerce and Industry
List of positions held
References
- ^ "Current Biography Yearbook". H. W. Wilson Co. 11 February 1971.
- ^ Wright, J.; Jones, H. (2012). Pluralism and the Idea of the Republic in France. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 195. ISBN 978-1-137-02831-0. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Imlay, Talbot C. (2018). The Practice of Socialist Internationalism: European Socialists and International Politics, 1914-1960. Oxford University Press. p. 171-172. ISBN 978-0-19-964104-8. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ Pemberton, Jo-Anne (4 February 2020). The Story of International Relations, Part Two: Cold-Blooded Idealists. Springer Nature. p. 140-141. ISBN 978-3-030-21824-9. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ Yvert, Benoît (2007). Premiers ministres et présidents du Conseil depuis 1815. Perrin- Colección Tempus. p. 512
- ^ a b Steiner, Zara (31 March 2011). The Triumph of the Dark: European International History 1933-1939. Oxford University Press. p. 1074. ISBN 978-0-19-921200-2. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ^ "Joseph Paul-Boncour Is Dead; Ex-Premier of France Was 98". The New York Times. 30 March 1972.
- ^ Obituaries from the Times. Newspaper Archive Developments Limited. 1971. p. 401. ISBN 978-0-903713-97-9. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
External links
Media related to Joseph Paul-Boncour at Wikimedia Commons