Paul Deschanel

18/02/192021/09/1920View on timeline
Paul Deschanel

Presidency

In June 1898, he was elected president of the chamber, and was re-elected in 1901, but rejected in 1902. Nevertheless, he came forward brilliantly in 1904 and 1905 as a supporter of the law on the separation of church and state. He also gained a position on the Committee of Foreign Affairs, and was president of the committee when the Franco-German treaty of 1911 came before Parliament.

He was re-elected deputy in 1910, and on 23 May 1912 was chosen to be the President of the Chamber. In this role he played a great part during World War I as the national orator; he delivered orations more frequently than he made speeches. He served until he was elected President of France on 17 January 1920 by an overwhelming majority, having beaten Georges Clemenceau in the preliminary party ballot.

Deschanel aspired to a much more active role as president than had been de rigueur under the Third Republic; but, for reasons of his own mental health, was unable to put his ideas to the test.

As president, his eccentric behaviour caused some consternation; on one occasion, after a delegation of schoolgirls had presented him with a bouquet, he tossed the flowers back at them one by one. On another occasion he received the British Ambassador to France naked except for the ceremonial decorations of his office. It all culminated when, late one night, 24 May 1920, he fell out of a large window of the presidential train near Montargis after taking some sleeping pills and was found wandering in his nightshirt by a platelayer, who took him to the nearest level-crossing keeper's cottage. Soon afterwards, Deschanel walked out of a state meeting, straight into a lake, fully clothed. His resignation was offered on 21 September 1920, and he was placed in a sanatorium at Rueil-Malmaison for three months. After his release he was elected to the senate in January 1921, serving until his death.

Until the death penalty was abolished in 1981, he was the only French head of state during whose term in office no persons in France were executed. Deschanel himself was a longtime death penalty opponent.

0 comments

Comment
No comments avaliable.

Author

Info

Published in 9/09/2020

Updated in 19/02/2021

All events in the topic France - Presidents:


20/12/184804/09/1870Napoleon IIINapoleon III
30/08/187124/05/1873Adolphe ThiersAdolphe Thiers
24/05/187330/01/1879Patrice de MacMahonPatrice de MacMahon
30/01/187902/12/1887Jules GrévyJules Grévy
03/12/188725/06/1894Marie François Sadi CarnotMarie François Sadi Carnot
27/06/189416/01/1895Jean Casimir-PerierJean Casimir-Perier
17/01/189516/02/1899Félix FaureFélix Faure
18/02/189918/02/1906Émile LoubetÉmile Loubet
18/02/190618/02/1913Armand FallièresArmand Fallières
18/02/191318/02/1920Raymond PoincaréRaymond Poincaré
18/02/192021/09/1920Paul DeschanelPaul Deschanel
23/09/192011/06/1924Alexandre MillerandAlexandre Millerand
13/06/192413/06/1931Gaston DoumergueGaston Doumergue
13/06/193107/05/1932Paul DoumerPaul Doumer
10/05/193211/07/1940Albert LebrunAlbert Lebrun
16/01/194716/01/1954Vincent AuriolVincent Auriol
16/01/195408/01/1959René CotyRené Coty
08/01/195928/04/1969Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
28/04/196920/06/1969Alain PoherAlain Poher
20/06/196902/04/1974Georges PompidouGeorges Pompidou
02/04/197427/05/1974Alain PoherAlain Poher
27/05/197421/05/1981Valéry Giscard d'EstaingValéry Giscard d'Estaing
21/05/198117/05/1995François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
17/05/199516/05/2007Jacques ChiracJacques Chirac
16/05/200715/05/2012Nicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy
15/05/201214/05/2017François HollandeFrançois Hollande
14/05/201718/09/2020Emmanuel MacronEmmanuel Macron
04/09/187013/02/1871Louis-Jules TrochuLouis-Jules Trochu
17/02/187130/08/1871Adolphe ThiersAdolphe Thiers
11/07/194019/08/1944Philippe PétainPhilippe Pétain
03/06/194426/01/1946Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
26/01/194624/06/1946Félix GouinFélix Gouin
24/06/194628/11/1946Georges BidaultGeorges Bidault
28/11/194616/12/1946Vincent AuriolVincent Auriol
16/12/194616/01/1947Léon BlumLéon Blum