Gaston Defferre

Gaston Defferre
Defferre in 1981
Mayor of Marseille
In office
9 May 1953 – 7 May 1986
Preceded byMichel Carlini
Succeeded byJean-Victor Cordonnier [fr]
In office
30 August 1944 – 27 November 1945
Preceded byPierre Barraud
Succeeded byJean Cristofol
Minister of the Interior and of decentralization
In office
22 May 1981 – 19 July 1984
PresidentFrançois Mitterrand
Prime MinisterPierre Mauroy
Laurent Fabius
Preceded byChristian Bonnet
Succeeded byPierre Joxe
Minister for town and country planning
In office
17 July 1984 – 20 march 1986
PresidentFrançois Mitterrand
Prime MinisterLaurent Fabius
Preceded byMichel Rocard (indirectly)
Succeeded byHervé de Charette (Planning)
Pierre Méhaignerie (Infrastructure)
Minister of the Overseas
In office
1 February 1956 – 13 June 1957
PresidentRené Coty
Prime MinisterGuy Mollet
Preceded byPierre-Henri Teitgen
Succeeded byGérard Jaquet
Minister for the Merchant Navy
In office
12 July 1950 – 11 August 1951
PresidentVincent Auriol
Prime MinisterHenri Queuille
René Pleven
Preceded byLionel de Tinguy du Pouët
Succeeded byAndré Morice
Member of the National Assembly
In office
2 April 1986 – 7 April 1986
Succeeded byJean-Jacques Léonetti
Parliamentary groupSOC
ConstituencyBouches-du-Rhône
In office
6 December 1962 – 25 July 1981
Preceded byCharles Colonna d'Anfriani
Succeeded byPhilippe Sanmarco
Parliamentary groupSOC
ConstituencyBouches-du-Rhône's 3rd
In office
8 November 1945 – 5 December 1958
Parliamentary groupSOC
ConstituencyBouches-du-Rhône's 1st
President of the Socialist Group in the National Assembly
In office
7 December 1962 – 22 May 1981
Preceded byFrancis Leenhardt
Succeeded byPierre Joxe
Member of the Senate
In office
26 April 1959 – 6 December 1962
Succeeded byRoger Delagnes
Parliamentary groupSOC
Under-secretary of State for Overseas territories
In office
16 December 1946 – 16 January 1947
Secretary of State for Information
In office
26 January 1946 – 24 June 1946
Personal details
Born(1910-09-14)14 September 1910
Marsillargues, France
Died7 May 1986(1986-05-07) (aged 75)
Marseille, France
Political partyFrench Section of the Workers' International
(1933–1969)
Socialist Party
(1969–1986)
Spouses
  • Andrée Aboulker
    (m. 1935; div. 1945)
  • Marie-Antoinette Swaters
    (m. 1946; div. 1973)
  • (m. 1973)

Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician. He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986. He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956–1957. His main achievement was to establish the framework used to grant independence to France’s African territories. In 1967, he fought the last duel in French history. As the Socialist candidate for president in 1969, he received only 5 percent of the vote. He was much more successful in promoting François Mitterrand as leader of the Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste; PS) in 1971. He held a series of ministerial portfolios after the Socialist victory in 1981, especially as minister of state for the interior and decentralization.