Jean-Marie Le Pen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean-Marie Le Pen
Official portrait, 1994
Honorary Chairman of the Alliance for Peace and Freedom
In office 2018 – 7 January 2025
Leader	Roberto Fiore
Leader of the Jeanne Committees
In office 22 March 2016 – 7 January 2025
Preceded by	Party established
Honorary President of the National Front
In office 16 January 2011 – 20 August 2015
President	Marine Le Pen
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
President of the National Front
In office 5 October 1972 – 15 January 2011
Preceded by	Party established
Succeeded by	Marine Le Pen
Member of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2004 – 1 July 2019
Constituency	South-East France
In office 24 July 1984 – 10 April 2003
Constituency	France
Member of the National Assembly
In office 2 April 1986 – 14 May 1988
Constituency	Seine
In office 9 December 1958 – 9 October 1962
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	René Capitant
Constituency	Seine's 1st
In office 19 January 1956 – 5 December 1958
Constituency	Seine's 3rd
Regional Councillor
In office 26 March 2010 – 13 December 2015
Constituency	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
In office 27 March 1992 – 24 February 2000
Constituency	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
In office 21 March 1986 – 22 March 1992
Constituency	Île-de-France
Municipal Councillor of Paris
In office 13 March 1983 – 19 March 1989
Constituency	20th arrondissement
Personal details
Born	(1928-06-20)20 June 1928 La Trinité-sur-Mer, Morbihan, France
Died	7 January 2025(2025-01-07) (aged 96) Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Political party	CJ (from 2016)
Other political affiliations	UDCA (1956–1957) FNC [fr] (1957–1961) CTV (1964–1966) FN (1972–2015) APF (from 2018)
Spouses	Pierrette Lallane ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1987)​ Jeanne-Marie Paschos ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3, including Marie-Caroline and Marine
Relatives	Marion Maréchal (granddaughter)
Alma mater	Panthéon-Assas University
Profession	Lawyer politician activist
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	French Fourth Republic
Branch/service	French Army
Years of service	1953–1955 1956–1957
Rank	First lieutenant
Unit	Foreign Legion 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment
Battles/wars	First Indochina War Suez Crisis Algerian War
Awards	Cross for Military Valour Combatant's Cross Colonial Medal Indochina North Africa Middle East

Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (born 20 June 1928 – died 7 January 2025), known as Jean-Marie Le Pen, was a French politician. He led the National Front political party from 1972 to 2011. He was also an honorary president of the party until 2015.

Le Pen was a major figure in French politics for a long time. He tried to become president of France five times.

Jean-Marie Le Pen's Life and Career

Early Life and Education

Jean-Marie Le Pen was born in La Trinité-sur-Mer, France, on 20 June 1928. His father, Jean Le Pen, was a fisherman and local council member. His mother, Anne-Marie Hervé, was a seamstress.

When he was 14, his father's boat was destroyed by a mine in 1942. This made him an orphan, and the state helped raise him. He grew up as a Roman Catholic.

Le Pen studied at schools in Vannes and Lorient. At 16, he tried to join the French Forces of the Interior during World War II but was too young.

He later studied law in Paris. While a student, he sold a monarchist newspaper. He also led a law student group in Toulouse.

After his military service, Le Pen studied political science and law at Panthéon-Assas University. He wrote a thesis in 1971 about the anarchist movement in France.

Military Service

After finishing his law degree, Le Pen joined the French Foreign Legion. He arrived in French Indochina after France lost the 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu. This battle ended the First Indochina War.

In 1956, he was sent to the Suez Crisis but arrived after the fighting stopped. In 1953, he helped organize volunteers to assist flood victims in the Netherlands. This group later helped earthquake victims in Italy.

In 1956, he was elected to the National Assembly in Paris. He was part of Pierre Poujade's UDCA party. In 1957, Le Pen became the leader of a veterans' group called the National Front of Combatants.

He was re-elected to the National Assembly in 1958. This time, he was with the CNIP party. Le Pen also served in Algeria in 1957 as an intelligence officer.

Political Career and the National Front

In 1965, Le Pen managed the presidential campaign for Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour. This candidate received 5.19% of the votes.

In 1972, Le Pen started the Front National (FN) party. He ran for president in 1974 but got only 0.74% of the votes. He could not run in the 1981 election because he did not get enough signatures from elected officials.

In the 1980s, the National Front gained more support. This happened during an economic crisis and as Le Pen spoke out against immigration. The party became popular in southern and eastern France.

In 1984, the FN won 16 seats in the European elections. In 1986, 35 FN members, including Le Pen, entered the National Assembly. This was the only time elections were held using proportional representation.

Le Pen was elected to the European Parliament in 1984 and was re-elected several times. He also served on the regional council for Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in 1992 and 1998.

Jean-Marie Le Pen at his home, November 2005

Le Pen ran for president in 1974, 1988, 1995, 2002, and 2007. In the 2002 election, he surprised many by reaching the second round. He got 16.86% of the votes in the first round.

This was a big event because it was the first time a candidate with his views made it to the final round. Many people across France protested against his ideas. In the second round, he lost to Jacques Chirac, who won with 82% of the votes.

In 2007, Le Pen ran for president again at 78 years old. He finished fourth in that election.

Le Pen was critical of the European Reform Treaty (also called the Treaty of Lisbon). This treaty was signed by EU countries in 2007. He supported the "No" campaign in Ireland, which was the only EU country to hold a public vote on the treaty.

After Le Pen left his leadership role in the National Front in 2011, his daughter, Marine Le Pen, became the new leader. He became the party's honorary chairman. He was re-elected to the European Parliament in 2014.

In August 2015, Le Pen was removed from the National Front party. After this, he started a new political group called the Comités Jeanne.

Blue, White and Red Rally

The Blue, White and Red Rally (Rassemblement Bleu Blanc Rouge) was a French nationalist political group. Le Pen founded it on 5 September 2015. This happened after he was no longer part of the National Front.

He told his supporters that they would not be left without a leader. He said they could still act like the National Front, even if they were not officially part of it.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Front National, said her father was "a free man" and could do what he wanted. Jean-Marie Le Pen said he would support his granddaughter, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, in upcoming elections. He also wanted his new group to influence the National Front's ideas.

Family and Personal Life

Le Pen with his second wife, Jany Paschos, in Paris, May Day 2007.

Le Pen was married to Pierrette Le Pen from 1960 to 1987. They had three daughters and eight grandchildren. One of his daughters, Marine Le Pen, became the leader of the National Rally (formerly the National Front).

In 1991, Jean-Marie Le Pen married Jeanne-Marie Paschos, also known as Jany. They had a religious wedding ceremony in 2021.

In 1977, Le Pen received a large inheritance from Hubert Lambert. Lambert was a political supporter and a monarchist. This inheritance included a large mansion in Saint-Cloud, near Paris. Le Pen also owned other homes in Rueil-Malmaison and his hometown of La Trinité-sur-Mer.

Health and Passing

Le Pen had a minor stroke in February 2022. He was hospitalized again in April 2023 for a mild heart attack. He was released from the hospital in May.

In April 2024, he had another heart attack. In November 2024, he spent two weeks in the hospital for health checks related to his age.

Jean-Marie Le Pen passed away on 7 January 2025, at the age of 96. He had been in poor health due to problems from his 2024 heart attack. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, learned about his death from reporters while traveling.

Electoral Record

National Assembly of France

• Member of the National Assembly for Paris: 1956–1962, 1986–1988.
• President of the National Front political group: 1986–1988.

Municipal Council

• Municipal councillor for the 20th arrondissement of Paris: 1983–1989.

European Parliament

• Member of European Parliament: 1984–2003 and 2004–2019.

Regional Council

• Regional councillor of Île-de-France : 1986–1992.
• Regional councillor of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: 1992–2000 and 2010–2015.

Presidential Election Results

Images for kids

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  Le Pen at a signing for his memoirs in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Jean-Marie Le Pen para niños