Jean Lecanuet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean Lecanuet
Lecanuet in 1959
Minister of Justice
In office 28 May 1974 – 25 August 1976
President	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Prime Minister	Jacques Chirac
Preceded by	Jean Taittinger
Succeeded by	Olivier Guichard
Mayor of Rouen
In office 1968–1993
Preceded by	Bernard Tissot
Succeeded by	François Gautier
Personal details
Born	(1920-03-04)4 March 1920 Rouen, France
Died	22 February 1993(1993-02-22) (aged 72) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Political party	Centre of Social Democrats (1976-1993) Union for French Democracy (1978-1993)
Other political affiliations	Popular Republican Movement (1944–1966) Democratic Centre (1966–1976)
Signature

Jean Adrien François Lecanuet (born March 4, 1920 – died February 22, 1993) was an important French politician. He was known for being a "centrist," meaning he held views that were in the middle, not too far left or too far right. He served as a government minister and was the long-time mayor of the city of Rouen.

Early Life and Education

Jean Lecanuet was born into a family that didn't have much money. He was very smart and chose to study philosophy. At just 22 years old, he earned his diploma. This made him the youngest "agrégé" in France. An agrégé is a highly qualified teacher, often at a university level.

During World War II, Jean Lecanuet joined the French Resistance. This was a secret group that fought against the German occupation of France. In August 1944, he was caught by the Germans. He had just helped blow up a railway line. Luckily, he managed to escape with help from a Polish person who was forced to join the German army. After the war, he married Denise Paillard, and they had three children.

Political Career Begins

After France was freed from occupation, Lecanuet became a general inspector. This was a high-ranking job at the Ministry of Defence.

During the time of the French Fourth Republic, Lecanuet held many different government jobs. He had 11 different minister positions in just 10 years! He was a member of the Popular Republican Movement (MRP), which was a Christian-Democratic political party. From 1951 to 1955, he was a representative for the Seine-Inférieure region. Later, in 1959, he became a senator for Seine-Maritime. He also led the MRP party from 1963 to 1965.

Presidential Campaign and New Parties

In 1965, Jean Lecanuet decided to run for president of France. He was a candidate from the center-right. He talked about making France more modern and working closely with other European countries. He said he offered a "third way." This meant he was different from both the followers of Charles de Gaulle (called Gaullism) and the Socialist and Communist parties.

His campaign was very modern for its time. He had a friendly smile, and some journalists even called him "the French Kennedy." In the first round of the election, Lecanuet received over 3.7 million votes. This was enough to make Charles de Gaulle go into a second round of voting against François Mitterrand. After this election, Lecanuet helped create a new party called the Democratic Centre. This party replaced the older MRP.

In 1972, Lecanuet helped start another group called the Reforming Movement. He worked with other politicians to make sure his party's candidates had a good chance to win elections. He strongly supported Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in the 1974 presidential election.

Minister and Party Leader

After Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became president, Jean Lecanuet was made Minister of Justice. He held this important job from 1974 to 1976. He then became a Minister of State, in charge of planning, from 1976 to 1977.

In 1978, Lecanuet was chosen to lead the Union for French Democracy (UDF). This was a group of parties formed to support President Giscard d'Estaing. He remained the UDF president until 1988. During this time, he also served as a representative in the European Parliament from 1979 to 1988. He was also the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces Commission in the French Senate.

In 1986, France had a unique political situation called "cohabitation." This happens when the president and the prime minister are from different political parties. The prime minister, Jacques Chirac, wanted Lecanuet to be the Foreign Minister. However, President François Mitterrand did not agree with this choice.

Mayor of Rouen

Besides his national roles, Jean Lecanuet was also a very important local leader. In 1968, he was elected Mayor of Rouen, a major city in France. He held this position for 23 years, right up until he passed away. He died of cancer on February 22, 1993.

Sources

• Chaline (Nadine-Josette), Jean Lecanuet, Beauchesne, Paris, 2000.
• Priol (Philippe), Jean Lecanuet, le vol de l’albatros, Maître Jacques, Caen, 2001.

See also

In Spanish: Jean Lecanuet para niños