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President of the French Senate
French Senate Logo.svg
Logo of the French Senate
Gérard Larcher, Président du Sénat français (cropped).jpg
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

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.

Portrait Name Took office Left office Political party
Jérôme Bonaparte.png Jérôme Bonaparte 28 January 1852 30 November 1852 Bonapartist
Troplong par Petit.jpg Raymond-Theodore Troplong 30 December 1852 1 March 1869 Bonapartist
Adrien Marie Devienne (1858-1869).jpg Adrien Marie Devienne 3 March 1869 20 July 1869 Bonapartist
Eugène Rouher painted by Alexandre Cabanel, ca. 1861.jpg Eugène Rouher 20 July 1869 4 September 1870 Bonapartist

Third Republic (1870–1940)

The Third Republic also had a Senate.

Portrait Name Took office Left office Political party
Gaston d'Audiffret-Pasquier.jpg Gaston Audiffret-Pasquier 13 March 1876 15 January 1879 Conservative
Louis Martel.png Louis Martel 15 January 1879 25 May 1880 Conservative
Léon Say (1826-1896).jpg Léon Say 25 May 1880 2 February 1882 Republican
Philippe Le Royer - photo J.M. Lopez.jpg Philippe Le Royer 2 February 1882 24 February 1893 Republican
Julesferry.jpg Jules Ferry 24 February 1893 17 March 1893 Left Republican
ETH-BIB-Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour (1827-1896), Professor am eidg. Polytechnikum 1856-1859-Portrait-Portr 05548.tif (cropped).jpg Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour 27 March 1893 16 January 1896 Opportunist Republican
Émile Loubet by Paul Nadar c1900.jpg Émile Loubet 16 January 1896 18 February 1899 Left Republican
Armand Fallières Paris.jpg Armand Fallières 3 March 1899 17 January 1906 Democratic Republican Alliance
Antonin Dubost.jpg Antonin Dubost 16 February 1906 14 January 1920 Democratic Republican Alliance
Léon Bourgeois.jpg Léon Bourgeois 14 January 1920 22 February 1923 Radical
Gaston Doumergue 1924.jpg Gaston Doumergue 22 February 1923 13 June 1924 Radical
Justin de Selves.jpg Justin de Selves 19 June 1924 9 January 1927 Radical
Paul Doumer portrait.jpg Paul Doumer 14 January 1927 13 May 1931 Radical
Albert Lebrun 1932 (2) (cropped 2).jpg Albert Lebrun 11 June 1931 10 May 1932 Democratic Alliance
Jules Jeanneney.jpg 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.png Auguste Champetier de Ribes 27 December 1946 6 March 1947 MRP
Gaston Monnerville.jpg 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

Portrait Name Took office Left office Political party
Gaston Monnerville.jpg Gaston Monnerville 9 December 1958 2 October 1968 Radical
Poher 1980s (cropped).jpg Alain Poher 3 October 1968 1 October 1992 CD (until 1976)
CDS (from 1976;
within the UDF from 1978)
René Monory (cropped).jpg René Monory 2 October 1992 1 October 1998 CDS (until 1995)
FD (from 1995;
within the UDF)
Christian Poncelet par Claude Truong-Ngoc octobre 2013.jpg Christian Poncelet 2 October 1998 30 September 2008 RPR (until 2002)
UMP (from 2002)
Portrait G. Larcher 2014 (cropped).jpg Gérard Larcher 1 October 2008 30 September 2011 UMP
Jean-Pierre Bel (cropped).jpg Jean-Pierre Bel 1 October 2011 30 September 2014 PS
Portrait G. Larcher 2014 (cropped).jpg Gérard Larcher 1 October 2014 Incumbent UMP (until 2015)
LR (since 2015)

See also

  • Senate (France)
  • Council of Ancients (France)
  • Council of the Republic (France)
  • Chamber of Peers (France)
  • President of the Senate (France)

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