Gérard Larcher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gérard Larcher
Larcher in 2014
President of the French Senate
Incumbent
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
Incumbent
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 Larcher (born September 14, 1949) is a French politician. He is currently the President of the French Senate. He has held this important role since 2014. Before that, he was also President of the Senate from 2008 to 2011.

Larcher is a member of The Republicans political party. He has been a Senator for the Yvelines area in France since 1986. He also served as a government minister and as the mayor of Rambouillet.

Early Life and Education

Gérard Larcher was born in Flers, France. His father was a factory director and also a mayor of a small town.

Larcher studied to become a vet. From 1974 to 1979, he worked with the French team for horse riding sports. He is married to Christine Weiss, who is a dentist, and they have three children.

Political Journey

Starting in Local Politics

In 1976, Larcher joined a group for young supporters of Charles de Gaulle. He admired de Gaulle, who was a very important leader in French history.

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

Becoming a Senator

On September 28, 1986, Larcher was elected as a Senator for Yvelines. He was 37 years old, making him one of the youngest Senators in France at that time.

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

Working as a Government Minister

In March 2004, Larcher was appointed as a Junior Minister. He worked under the Minister of Social Affairs. He continued in the government until May 2007.

In 2007, the new President, Nicolas Sarkozy, offered Larcher a job as Minister of Agriculture. However, Larcher chose to stay in the Senate instead. He then prepared to run for President of the Senate.

Leading the Senate

On October 1, 2008, Gérard Larcher was elected as the President of the Senate. He won with 173 votes.

In September 2011, the political parties on the left side won more seats in the Senate. Because of this, a new President of the Senate was elected on October 1, 2011. Jean-Pierre Bel, a candidate from the left, became the new President.

However, after the elections in September 2014, the right-wing parties won more seats again. Larcher was once more chosen by his party to be the President of the Senate. He was re-elected to this role on October 1, 2014, and has served ever since.

Key Roles and Positions

Gérard Larcher has held many important roles throughout his career:

• Government Minister
  • Minister for Labor Relations: 2004-2005
  • Minister for Employment and Youth Employability: 2005-2007

• Senate Roles
  • Senator for Yvelines: 1986-2004
  • Vice President of the Senate: 1997-2001
  • President of the Economic Affairs Commission in the Senate: 2001-2004
  • Senator for Yvelines: Since 2007
  • President of the Senate of France: 2008-2011
  • President of the Senate of France: Since 2014

• Regional Council
  • Regional councillor of Île-de-France: 1985-1992

• Municipal Council
  • Municipal councillor of Rambouillet: Since 1983
  • Mayor of Rambouillet: 1983–2004
  • Deputy Mayor of Rambouillet: 2004–2007
  • Mayor of Rambouillet: 2007-2014

Political Views

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

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

Before the 2022 French presidential elections, Larcher publicly supported Xavier Bertrand. Bertrand was a candidate for The Republicans party.