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Gérard Larcher
Portrait G. Larcher 2014 (cropped).jpg
Larcher in 2014
President of the French Senate
Assumed office
1 October 2014
Preceded by Jean-Pierre Bel
In office
1 October 2008 – 30 September 2011
Preceded by Christian Poncelet
Succeeded by Jean-Pierre Bel
Member of the Senate
Assumed office
1 October 2007
Constituency Yvelines
In office
2 October 1986 – 30 April 2004
Constituency Yvelines
Minister delegate for Labour
In office
31 March 2004 – 15 May 2007
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Dominique de Villepin
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Position abolished
Mayor of Rambouillet
In office
18 June 2007 – 4 April 2014
Preceded by Jean-Frédéric Poisson
Succeeded by Marc Robert
In office
18 March 1983 – 7 July 2004
Preceded by Jacqueline Thome-Patenôtre
Succeeded by Jean-Frédéric Poisson
Personal details
Born (1949-09-14) 14 September 1949 (age 75)
Flers, France
Political party The Republicans (2015–present)
Other political
affiliations		 Rally for the Republic (1976–2002)
Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2015)
Spouse Christine Weiss
Children 3
Profession Veterinarian

Gérard Philippe René André Larcher (born on September 14, 1949) is an important French politician. He is currently the President of the French Senate, a big job he has held since 2014. He also had this role from 2008 to 2011. Think of the Senate as one of France's two main law-making groups.

Mr. Larcher is part of The Republicans political party. He has also been a Senator for the Yvelines area since 1986. There was a short break between 2004 and 2007 when he was a government minister. During that time, he was the Minister for Employment, Labour, and Professional Integration of Young People under President Jacques Chirac. Before becoming Senate President, he also served as the mayor of Rambouillet from 1983 to 2004 and again from 2007 until 2014.

Early Life and Education

Gérard Larcher was born in Flers, France. His family was Roman Catholic. His father, Philippe Larcher, managed a textile factory and was also a mayor in a small town.

Later, Mr. Larcher married Christine Weiss, who is a dentist. They have three children named Aymeric, Dorothée, and Charlotte. After finishing his studies at the National Veterinary School of Lyon, Mr. Larcher worked as a veterinarian. From 1974 to 1979, he was part of the French equestrian sports team.

Political Career

Starting in Local Politics

In 1976, Mr. Larcher joined a group of young politicians who admired Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle was a very important leader who founded the Fifth Republic of France.

In 1983, Mr. Larcher was elected as the Mayor of Rambouillet, a town in the Yvelines area. Two years later, he became a regional councillor for Île-de-France, which is the region around Paris.

Becoming a Senator

On September 28, 1986, Mr. Larcher was elected as a Senator for Yvelines for the first time. He was part of the Rally for the Republic (RPR) party. At 37 years old, he was one of the youngest Senators in France.

In 1989, he became the Secretary of the Senate. He was re-elected as a Senator in 1995 and then became the Vice President of the Senate in 1997. In 2001, he was chosen to be the President of the Senate's Economic Affairs Commission.

Serving as a Government Minister

In March 2004, Mr. Larcher was appointed as a Junior Minister to the Minister of Social Affairs. This was part of the government led by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. He kept his position in the government in June 2005 when Dominique de Villepin became the new Prime Minister.

In May 2007, the new President, Nicolas Sarkozy, asked Mr. Larcher to become the Minister of Agriculture. However, Mr. Larcher decided not to join the government and chose to remain a Senator instead. In the months that followed, he started preparing to run for President of the Senate.

President of the Senate

On October 1, 2008, Gérard Larcher was elected as the President of the Senate. He won with 173 votes, while the Socialist candidate, Jean-Pierre Bel, received 134 votes.

In September 2011, the left-wing parties won more seats in the Senate election. Because of this, Jean-Pierre Bel was elected as the new President of the Senate on October 1, 2011. He received 179 votes, while Mr. Larcher, who was the right-wing candidate, received 134 votes.

After the right-wing parties won more seats in the September 2014 Senate elections, Mr. Larcher was again chosen by his party to run for President of the Senate. He was re-elected as President of the Senate on October 1, 2014, and has held the position since then.

Overview of Roles

Here's a quick look at the different roles Gérard Larcher has held:

Government Roles

  • Minister Delegate for Labor Relations: 2004-2005
  • Minister Delegate for Employment, Labor, and for Employability of Young People: 2005-2007

Senate Roles

Regional Council Role

Local Council Roles

Political Views

In 2019, Mr. Larcher stated that wearing the Islamic headscarf in public is "a freedom that he wants to defend." He also believes that Islam can fit well with the French Republic, as long as it is not extreme or political.

Before the 2022 French presidential elections, Mr. Larcher publicly supported Xavier Bertrand as the candidate for The Republicans party. He also supported Bruno Retailleau to become the party's chairman before their 2022 meeting.

Images for kids

  • Isaac Herzog in Beit HaNassi, December 2023 (KBG GPO8278)

    Larcher with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Israel, 21 December 2023

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