List of presidents of the Senate of France facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids President of the French Senate
Logo of the French Senate
Incumbent Gérard Larcher since 1 October 2014
Senate of France
Member of	French Parliament
Residence	Petit Luxembourg
Term length	3 years, renewable
Formation	28 October 1795
First holder	Claude-Antoine Rudel
Succession	1st

The President of the French Senate is a very important leader in France. The Senate is like one part of France's Parliament, which is where laws are made. The President of the Senate leads this group.

France has had different types of Senates throughout its history. Sometimes they were just advisory groups, like a council that gives advice. Other times, they were more like a law-making body. The idea of having an "upper house" (a second group of lawmakers) started in France way back in 1795. Over the years, the name and exact role of this group changed, but it always had a leader, or "President." In 1959, with a new constitution, the name "Senate" was brought back.

What the President of the Senate Does
Leaders of France's Upper Houses
See also
Images for kids

What the President of the Senate Does

The President of the Senate has two main jobs. First, they lead the Senate meetings and make sure everything runs smoothly. They are like the referee for the Senate.

Second, and this is a big one, if the President of France cannot do their job (for example, if they resign or pass away), the President of the Senate steps in. They become the Acting President of France until a new President can be elected. This has happened twice in history.

A man named Alain Poher, who was President of the Senate, became Acting President of France two times.

The first time was in 1969, after President Charles de Gaulle resigned. Alain Poher was Acting President for about two months.
The second time was in 1974, after President Georges Pompidou passed away. Alain Poher again stepped in as Acting President for about two months.

Leaders of France's Upper Houses

Over the years, France's "upper house" (the Senate or similar groups) has had many different leaders. Here's a look at some of the key periods and their Presidents.

Early Leaders (1795–1848)

France's first upper house was called the Council of Ancients (1795–1799). Later, during the First Empire (1804–1814), it was known as the Sénat conservateur. During the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830) and the July Monarchy (1830–1848), the upper house was called the Chamber of Peers. Many different people led these groups over the years.

The very first President of the Council of Ancients was Claude-Antoine Rudel, who took office on October 28, 1795.
The last President of the Chamber of Peers was Étienne-Denis Pasquier, who served until February 24, 1848.

Second Empire (1852–1870)

During the Second Empire, the upper house was again called the Senate.

Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
Jérôme Bonaparte	28 January 1852	30 November 1852	Bonapartist
Raymond-Theodore Troplong	30 December 1852	1 March 1869	Bonapartist
Adrien Marie Devienne	3 March 1869	20 July 1869	Bonapartist
Eugène Rouher	20 July 1869	4 September 1870	Bonapartist

Third Republic (1870–1940)

The Third Republic also had a Senate.

Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
Gaston Audiffret-Pasquier	13 March 1876	15 January 1879	Conservative
Louis Martel	15 January 1879	25 May 1880	Conservative
Léon Say	25 May 1880	2 February 1882	Republican
Philippe Le Royer	2 February 1882	24 February 1893	Republican
Jules Ferry	24 February 1893	17 March 1893	Left Republican
Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour	27 March 1893	16 January 1896	Opportunist Republican
Émile Loubet	16 January 1896	18 February 1899	Left Republican
Armand Fallières	3 March 1899	17 January 1906	Democratic Republican Alliance
Antonin Dubost	16 February 1906	14 January 1920	Democratic Republican Alliance
Léon Bourgeois	14 January 1920	22 February 1923	Radical
Gaston Doumergue	22 February 1923	13 June 1924	Radical
Justin de Selves	19 June 1924	9 January 1927	Radical
Paul Doumer	14 January 1927	13 May 1931	Radical
Albert Lebrun	11 June 1931	10 May 1932	Democratic Alliance
Jules Jeanneney	3 June 1932	9 July 1940	Radical

Fourth Republic (1946–1958)

In the Fourth Republic, the upper house was called the Council of the Republic.

Political party
MRP Radical

Portrait		Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
		Auguste Champetier de Ribes	27 December 1946	6 March 1947	MRP
		Gaston Monnerville	18 March 1947	2 October 1958	Radical

Fifth Republic (1958–present)

Since 1958, France has been in its Fifth Republic, and the upper house is once again called the Senate.

Political party
Radical CD; CDS; FD RPR; UMP; LR PS

Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
Gaston Monnerville	9 December 1958	2 October 1968	Radical
Alain Poher	3 October 1968	1 October 1992	CD (until 1976) CDS (from 1976; within the UDF from 1978)
René Monory	2 October 1992	1 October 1998	CDS (until 1995) FD (from 1995; within the UDF)
Christian Poncelet	2 October 1998	30 September 2008	RPR (until 2002) UMP (from 2002)
Gérard Larcher	1 October 2008	30 September 2011	UMP
Jean-Pierre Bel	1 October 2011	30 September 2014	PS
Gérard Larcher	1 October 2014	Incumbent	UMP (until 2015) LR (since 2015)

Images for kids

Claude-Antoine Rudel
Louis Marie de La Révellière-Lépeaux
Pierre-Charles-Louis Baudin
François Denis Tronchet
Théodore Vernier
Guillaume François Charles Goupil de Préfelne
Claude Ambroise Régnier
Jacques Antoine Creuzé-Latouche
Jean-Barthélémy Le Couteulx de Canteleu
Charles-François Lebrun
Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis
Jean Dussaulx
Honoré Muraire
Roger Ducos
Jean-Gérard Lacuée, count of Cessac
Jean-Jacques Bréard
Boniface Paradis
Sébastien Ligeret de Beauvais
Joseph Clément Poullain de Grandprey
Jean-François-Bertrand Delmas
Edme-Bonaventure Courtois
François Barbé-Marbois
Louis Bernard de Saint-Affrique
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours
André-Daniel Laffon de Ladebat
Jean-Antoine Marbot
Emmanuel Crétet
Jean-Pierre Lacombe-Saint-Michel
Jean François Philibert Rossée
Jean-Baptiste Marragon
Jean Rousseau
Pardoux Bordas
Étienne Mollevaut
Jacques Poisson de Coudreville
Claude Ambroise Régnier
Jean-Antoine Marbot
Étienne Maynaud de Bizefranc de Laveaux
Pierre Antoine Laloy
Benoît Michel Decomberousse
Emmanuel Pérès de Lagesse
Jean-Augustin Moreau de Vormes
Jean-Baptiste Perrin des Vosges
Dominique Joseph Garat
Jean-Aimé Delacoste
Mathieu Depère
Claude-Pierre de Delay d'Agier
Charles Claude Christophe Gourdan
Pierre-Charles-Louis Baudin
Louis Dubois du Bais
Mathieu-Augustin Cornet
Joseph Cornudet des Chaumettes
Louis-Nicolas Lemercier
Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès
François Barthélemy
François Denis Tronchet
François Christophe Kellermann
Louis-Nicolas Lemercier
François de Neufchâteau
Gaspard Monge
Bernard Germain de Lacépède
Jean-Denis-René de Saint-Vallier
Germain Garnier
Bernard Germain de Lacépède
François Barthélemy
Charles-Henri, chevalier Dambray
Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès
Charles-Henri, chevalier Dambray
Claude-Emmanuel, marquis de Pastoret
Étienne-Denis Pasquier

All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:

List of presidents of the Senate of France Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.