Gaston Defferre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gaston Defferre
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Defferre in 1964
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| Mayor of Marseille | |
| In office 9 May 1953 – 7 May 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Michel Carlini |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Victor Cordonnier |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 22 May 1981 – 19 July 1984 |
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| Prime Minister | Pierre Mauroy Laurent Fabius |
| Preceded by | Christian Bonnet |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Joxe |
| Minister of the Overseas | |
| In office 1 February 1956 – 13 June 1957 |
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| Prime Minister | Guy Mollet |
| Preceded by | Pierre-Henri Teitgen |
| Succeeded by | Gérard Jaquet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 September 1910 Marsillargues, France |
| Died | 7 May 1986 (aged 75) Marseille, France |
| Political party | French Section of the Workers' International (1933–1969) Socialist Party (1969–1986) |
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Gaston Defferre (born September 14, 1910 – died May 7, 1986) was an important French politician. He was a member of the Socialist Party. He is best known for being the mayor of Marseille for 33 years, until he passed away in 1986.
Defferre also served as a government minister. From 1956 to 1957, he was the Minister for Overseas Territories. In this role, he helped create the plan for France's African territories to become independent countries. Later, when the Socialist Party won the election in 1981, he became the Minister of the Interior. He worked on important changes to how local governments operate in France.
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Early Life and Political Beginnings
Gaston Defferre was born in Marsillargues, France. He trained as a lawyer. During World War II, he was part of the French Resistance, a secret group that fought against the occupation of France. He was a member of a Resistance group called the Brutus Network.
After the war, Defferre became a member of the French National Assembly, which is like the parliament of France. He served there for many years. He was also a member of the Senate of France, another part of the French government.
Mayor of Marseille and Newspaper Owner
Defferre first served as mayor of Marseille briefly in 1944-1945. He then became mayor again in 1953 and held the position until his death in 1986. This made him a very powerful figure in the South-East region of France.
He also owned two major newspapers in the region: Le Provençal and Le Méridional. He co-founded Le Provençal right after France was freed from occupation. Owning these newspapers gave him a lot of influence in the area.
Work as Overseas Minister
From 1956 to 1957, Gaston Defferre was the Minister of Overseas France. In this role, he played a key part in ending French colonialism in Africa. He helped create a law called the Loi-cadre Defferre. This law set up the steps for many African countries that were French colonies to gain their independence.
Political Challenges and Alliances
As mayor of Marseille, Defferre often had disagreements with the French Communist Party. He worked with other political groups to gain support. He also tried to form alliances between different parties at the national level.
In 1969, Defferre ran for president of France as the Socialist candidate. However, he only received about 5% of the votes. This was a very low score for a Socialist candidate. After this election, the Socialist Party was reformed.
Defferre later supported François Mitterrand in becoming the leader of the new Socialist Party in 1971. Even though they had different ideas about working with the Communist Party, Defferre helped Mitterrand take charge. When Mitterrand became president in 1981, Defferre served as his interior minister. He was responsible for important changes that gave more power to local governments.
A Famous Duel
In 1967, Gaston Defferre was involved in the last known duel in France. During an argument in the French National Assembly, Defferre insulted another politician named René Ribière. Ribière then challenged Defferre to a duel with swords. Defferre accepted the challenge.
During the duel, René Ribière was wounded twice. However, his injuries were not serious. This event became a famous story in French political history.
Gaston Defferre continued to serve as mayor of Marseille until he died in office in 1986. His wife, Edmonde Charles-Roux, was a well-known writer.
Political Roles
Gaston Defferre held many important political positions throughout his career:
Governmental Roles
- Secretary of State for Information: January–June 1946.
- Undersecretary of State for Overseas France: 1946–1947.
- Minister of Merchant Marine: 1950–1951 and March–August 1951.
- Minister of Overseas France: 1956–1957.
- Minister of State, Minister of Interior and Decentralization: 1981–1983.
- Minister of Interior and Decentralization: 1983–1984.
- Minister of State, Minister of Planning and Land Development: 1984–1986.
Elected Roles
National Assembly of France
- Member of the National Assembly of France for Bouches-du-Rhône: 1945–1958 and 1962–1981. He was re-elected many times.
Senate of France
- Senator of Bouches-du-Rhône: 1959–1962.
Municipal Council
- Mayor of Marseille: 1944–1945 and 1953–1986. He was re-elected many times.
- Municipal councillor of Marseille: 1944–1945 and 1953–1986.
See also
In Spanish: Gaston Defferre para niños
