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Paul Doumer
Paul-Doumer (cropped).jpg
Doumer in 1931
President of France
In office
13 June 1931 – 7 May 1932
Prime Minister Pierre Laval
André Tardieu
Preceded by Gaston Doumergue
Succeeded by Albert Lebrun
President of the Senate
In office
14 January 1927 – 9 June 1931
Preceded by Justin de Selves
Succeeded by Albert Lebrun
Minister of Finance
In office
16 December 1925 – 9 March 1926
Prime Minister Aristide Briand
Preceded by Louis Loucheur
Succeeded by Raoul Péret
In office
16 January 1921 – 15 January 1922
Prime Minister Aristide Briand
Preceded by Frédéric François-Marsal
Succeeded by Charles de Lasteyrie
In office
1 November 1895 – 29 April 1896
Prime Minister Léon Bourgeois
Preceded by Alexandre Ribot
Succeeded by Georges Cochery
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
10 January 1905 – 31 May 1906
Preceded by Henri Brisson
Succeeded by Henri Brisson
Governor-General of French Indochina
In office
13 February 1897 – 14 March 1902
Preceded by Armand Rousseau
Succeeded by Paul Beau
Personal details
Born 22 March 1857
Aurillac, France
Died 7 May 1932(1932-05-07) (aged 75)
Paris, France
Political party Independent
Alma mater University of Paris
Signature

Joseph Athanase Doumer, known as Paul Doumer, was a French politician. He served as President of France from June 13, 1931, until he was assassinated on May 7, 1932.

Paul Doumer's Early Life

Paul Doumer was born on March 22, 1857, in Aurillac, France. His family did not have much money. He studied at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. In 1877, he became a math teacher in Mende.

In 1878, Doumer married Blanche Richel. They had eight children together. Sadly, four of his sons died during World War I.

Paul Doumer's Political Career

From 1879 to 1883, Doumer taught in Remiremont. After that, he became the main editor for a French newspaper called Courrier de l'Aisne.

Paul Doumer-1
Paul Doumer in a photograph by André-Adolphe-Eugène Disdéri

Doumer started his political journey in 1885. He worked for Charles Floquet, who was the head of the Chamber of Deputies. This job is similar to the speaker of a parliament. In 1888, Doumer was elected as a representative for the Aisne area. He later became a Minister of Finance of France (1895–1896). In this role, he tried to introduce an income tax, but it did not pass.

Governor-General of French Indochina

Paul Doumer became the Governor-General of French Indochina from 1897 to 1902. This area included modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. When he arrived, the colonies were losing a lot of money. Doumer wanted to make them profitable. He introduced taxes and worked to make Indochina a place where France could sell its products and French businesses could invest.

Doumer also focused on building modern structures in Indochina, especially in Hanoi, the capital city. Many French-style buildings and tree-lined streets were built during his time. Important projects included the Long Bien Bridge and the Grand Palais. The bridge was even named after him at first. It is still a famous landmark today.

Doumer also helped get approval for the Indochina-Yunnan railway in 1898. This railway was planned to connect French Indochina with southern China.

Return to French Politics

After returning to France, Doumer continued his political career. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies again. He served as the President of the Chamber from 1902 to 1905.

Doumer became the Minister of Finance of France again in 1925. Later, he served as the President of the French Senate from 1927 until 1931. On May 13, 1931, he was elected President of the French Republic. He won against Aristide Briand and took over from Gaston Doumergue.

Paul Doumer's Assassination

Le Petit Journal illustré Doumer
Assassination of Paul Doumer (Le Petit Journal, May 15, 1932).

On May 6, 1932, Paul Doumer was at a book fair in Paris. He was talking to an author named Claude Farrère. Suddenly, a man named Paul Gorguloff, who was from Russia, fired several shots. Claude Farrère bravely struggled with the attacker until the police arrived.

Doumer was quickly taken to a hospital in Paris. He passed away early the next morning, on May 7. He is the only French president to have died from a gunshot wound while in office. Gorguloff was found guilty of murder and was executed a few months later.

The writer André Maurois saw the assassination happen. He later wrote about it in his book. Because the president was killed at a meeting of writers, many writers, including Maurois, stood guard over his body at the Élysée Palace.

Paul Doumer's Writings

Paul Doumer also wrote books. Some of his well-known works include L'Indo-Chine française (1904) and Le Livre de mes fils (1906).

See also

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