Alain Poher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alain Poher
Poher in 1969
Acting President of France
In office 2 April 1974 – 27 May 1974
Prime Minister	Pierre Messmer
Preceded by	Georges Pompidou
Succeeded by	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
In office 28 April 1969 – 20 June 1969
Prime Minister	Maurice Couve de Murville
Preceded by	Charles de Gaulle
Succeeded by	Georges Pompidou
President of the Senate
In office 3 October 1968 – 1 October 1992
Preceded by	Gaston Monnerville
Succeeded by	René Monory
President of the European Parliament
In office 7 March 1966 – 11 March 1969
Preceded by	Victor Leemans
Succeeded by	Mario Scelba
Senator
In office 18 May 1952 – 1 October 1995
Constituency	Seine-et-Oise (1952–1968) Val-de-Marne (1968–1995)
In office 8 December 1946 – 7 November 1948
Constituency	Seine-et-Oise
Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine
In office 18 May 1945 – March 1983
Preceded by	Édouard Désiré Juvigny
Succeeded by	Jean-Pierre Hermellin
Personal details
Born	Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (1909-04-17)17 April 1909 Ablon-sur-Seine, France
Died	9 December 1996(1996-12-09) (aged 87) 16th arrondissement of Paris, France
Political party	Popular Republican Movement (1946–1966) Democratic Centre (1966–1976) Centre of Social Democrats (1976–1995) Democratic Force (1995–1996)
Other political affiliations	Union for French Democracy (1978–1996)
Spouse	Henriette Tugler
Children	2
Alma mater	Mines ParisTech Sciences Po
Occupation	Engineer, civil servant
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Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (born April 17, 1909 – died December 9, 1996) was an important French politician. He is best known for being the acting President of France twice. This happened in 1969 and again in 1974. He took on this big role because he was the President of the Senate, which is like a backup leader for the country.

Poher was a member of the Senate for a very long time, from 1946 to 1948, and then from 1952 to 1995. He also served as President of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969. As President of the Senate from 1968 to 1992, he was a key figure in French politics during the 20th century.

Early Life and Career

Alain Poher was born in Ablon-sur-Seine, a town near Paris. He went to school in Paris and studied law. In 1938, he married Henriette Tugler, and they had two daughters.

His career in government began in 1938 at the Ministry of Finance. During World War II, he was injured while fighting against the German invasion. Later, he joined the French Resistance, a secret movement that fought against the occupation of France by Nazi Germany.

After France was freed, he held several important jobs. He was the head of Social Services at the Ministry of Finance and became the Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine in 1945.

Alain Poher in February 1949 as French General Commissioner for German and Austrian Affairs

He also worked as the General Commissioner for German and Austrian Affairs from 1948 to 1950. He served as a Secretary of State in different government departments, including for the Budget and for the Navy. He was also the president of the Association des maires de France (Association of Mayors of France) from 1974 to 1983.

Poher was a close friend and political supporter of Robert Schuman, a famous French politician who helped create the European Union. Like Schuman, Poher strongly believed in European cooperation. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1952 and stayed there for over 40 years. He also served as President of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969.

President of the Senate

Poher (right) speaking with Gaston Monnerville, his predecessor as Senate President, in April 1969.

As President of the Senate, Poher worked with the government led by Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville. Even though they had different political ideas, Poher was praised for working well with the government.

Acting President of France

In France, if the President resigns or passes away, the President of the Senate temporarily takes over the role of head of state. This person then leads the country until a new election can be held.

Poher first became acting president on April 29, 1969. This happened after President Charles de Gaulle resigned. Poher had been a strong opponent of de Gaulle's policies. He played a key role in the "no" campaign during a public vote that led to de Gaulle's resignation.

While he was acting president, Poher continued to be the Senate President. However, he moved into the Elysée Palace, which is the official residence of the French President.

Poher considered asking General Marie-Pierre Kœnig to run for president, but Kœnig refused. So, Poher decided to run himself. Many people thought he had a good chance to win against Georges Pompidou. However, he did not have a strong political party supporting him, which made it harder.

During his time as acting president, Poher's main job was to organize the upcoming election. But he also made some important decisions. For example, he ordered France's state-controlled TV and radio networks to be fair and neutral in their reporting, not favoring any political party. This rule was followed by future presidents.

Even though he lost the election, Poher became very popular during his time as acting president. People admired how he handled the situation.

He served as acting head of state again in 1974 after President Pompidou passed away. This time, he did not run for president himself. He stepped down after Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected.

Political Roles

Here are some of the important political roles Alain Poher held:

• Interim President of the French Republic:
  • April 28 – June 20, 1969
  • April 2 – May 27, 1974
• Government Positions:
  • Secretary of State for the Budget: September 5 – November 20, 1948
  • Secretary of State for the Navy: November 11, 1957 – May 14, 1958
• European Parliament:
  • President of the European Parliament: 1966–1969
• Senate:
  • Senator for Seine-et-Oise and Val-de-Marne: 1946–1948, 1952–1995
  • President of the Senate of France: 1968–1992
• Local Government:
  • Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine: 1945–1983

See also

In Spanish: Alain Poher para niños