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Georges Pompidou | |
|---|---|
_2.jpg) Pompidou in 1969 | |
| 19th President of France | |
| In office 20 June 1969 – 2 April 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Jacques Chaban-Delmas Pierre Messmer |
| Preceded by | Charles de Gaulle |
| Succeeded by | Valéry Giscard d'Estaing |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 14 April 1962 – 10 July 1968 | |
| President | Charles de Gaulle |
| Preceded by | Michel Debré |
| Succeeded by | Maurice Couve de Murville |
| Member of the Constitutional Council | |
| In office 5 March 1959 – 14 April 1962 | |
| Appointed by | Charles de Gaulle |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Chenot |
| Additional positions | |
| (see § Offices and distinctions) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou 5 July 1911 Montboudif, France |
| Died | 2 April 1974 (aged 62) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Orvilliers Cemetery Orvilliers, France |
| Political party | Union of Democrats for the Republic (1968–1974) |
| Other political affiliations | Union for the New Republic (before 1968) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Alain |
| Alma mater | École Normale Supérieure Sciences Po |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | France |
| Branch/service | French Army |
| Years of service | 1940 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | 141st Alpine Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards | Croix de Guerre |
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (/ˈpɒmpɪduː/ POMP-id-oo; French: [ʒɔʁʒ(ə) pɔ̃pidu] ; 5 July 1911 – 2 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 to his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 1962 to 1968, a longevity record under the Fifth Republic.
In the context of the strong growth of the last years of the Trente Glorieuses, Pompidou continued De Gaulle's policy of modernisation, which was symbolised by the presidential use of the Concorde, the creation of large industrial groups and the launch of the high-speed train project (TGV). The government invested heavily in the automobile, agribusiness, steel, telecommunications, nuclear and aerospace sectors and also created the minimum wage (SMIC) and the Ministry of the Environment.
His foreign policy was pragmatic but in line with the Gaullist principle of French autonomy within the Western Bloc. It was marked by a warming of relations with Richard Nixon's United States, close relations with Leonid Brezhnev's Soviet Union, the launch of the snake in the tunnel and the relaunching of European construction by facilitating the United Kingdom's entry to the EEC in contrast to de Gaulle's opposition. Pompidou died in office in 1974 of Waldenström's disease, a rare form of blood cancer.
An admirer of contemporary art, Pompidou's name remains known worldwide for the Centre Pompidou, which he initiated and was inaugurated in 1977; it subsequently spread the name with its branches in Metz (France), Málaga (Spain), Brussels (Belgium) and Shanghai (China). A Georges Pompidou Museum is also dedicated to him in his hometown.