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Jacques Chirac

Published on November 27, 2007

Born on November 29, 1932, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Son of François Chirac, company director, and Marie-Louise Valette. Married on March 16, 1956, to Bernadette Chodron de Courcel. Two children: Laurence and Claude.

Education

- Lycées Carnot and Louis-le-Grand,Paris

Degrees

- Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Science), Paris, and Harvard University Summer School (USA).

Distinctions

- Grand-Croix de la Légion d’Honneur
- Grand-Croix de l’Ordre National du Mérite
- Croix de la Valeur Militaire
- Médaille de l’Aéronautique
- Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, des Arts et des Lettres, de l’Étoile Noire, du Mérite Sportif, du Mérite Touristique
- Grand Cross of the Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malte.

Career

- 1957-1959
Ecole nationale d’Administration (ENA - National School of Administration)

- 1959
Auditor, State Audit Court (Cour des Comptes)

- 1962
Special assistant, Government Secretariat-General 1965-1993 Conseiller référendaire, State Audit Court

- March 1965 - March 1977
Town councillor, Sainte-Féréole (Corrèze)

- March - May 1967
Deputy for the Corrèze Department

- 1967-1968
State Secretary for Social Affairs, with responsibility for employment problems (in the government of G. Pompidou)

- 1968
Elected Departmental Councillor for the canton of Meymac (re-elected in 1970 and 1976)

- 1968-1971
State Secretary for the Economy and Finance (in the Pompidou, Couve de Murville and Chaban-Delmas governments)

- June 1968 - August 1968
Deputy (Union pour la Défense de la République - UDR) for the Corrèze Department

- Since l969
Treasurer of the Claude Pompidou Foundation (which in particular provides help for the elderly and for handicapped children)

- 1970 - March 1979
President of the Corrèze Departmental Council

- 1971-1972
Minister Delegate (Prime Minister’s Office) with responsibility for relations with Parliament (Chaban-Delmas government))

- 1972-1973
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Messmer government)

- March 4, 1973-May 5, 1973
Deputy for the Corrèze Department (re-elected)

- 1973-1974
Ministre de l’Agriculture et du Développement rural (Gouvernement de Pierre Messmer)

- 1974
Minister of the Interior (Messmer government)

- 27 May, 1974
Appointed Prime Minister December

- 1974 - June 1975
Secretary-General, Union des Démocrates pour la République (UDR)

- June 1975
Honorary Secretary-General, UDR

- August 25, 1976
Tendered resignation of his government

- 1976
Re-elected Deputy for Corrèze Department (3rd constituency)

- December 5, 1976
Elected President of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR - Rally for the Republic), successor party to the UDR

-  March 20, 1977
Elected Mayor of Paris

- May l, 1979
Elected President of the Association internationale des maires et responsables des capitales et métropoles partiellement ou entièrement francophones (AIMF - International association of mayors and leaders of wholly or partially French-speaking capital cities and metropolitan areas)

- June 10, 1979
Elected Member of the European Parliament (on the Defence of French Interests in Europe list); resigned seat in 1980

- From 20 March 1986 to 10 May 1988
Prime minister ("Cohabitation" period)

- May 7, 1995
Elected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 15,770,249 votes (52.64% of votes cast) versus 14,187,963 votes for Lionel Jospin

-  May 5, 2002
Reelected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 82,21% of votes cast versus 17,79% of votes cast for Jean-Marie Le Pen.

-  May 16, 2007
Transfer of power to Nicolas Sarkozy, elected as the 23rd President of France on May 6, 2007. Becomes a member-by-law of the Conseil Constitutionnel (Constitutional Court).

Publications

- Thesis on the development of the Port of New Orleans (Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris), 1954.
- "Discours pour la France à l’heure du choix," (Address to France at the moment of decision), Editions Stock (1978).
- "La lueur d’espérance: Réflexion du soir pour le matin" (The glimmer of hope: reflections in the evening for the next morning), Editions La Table Ronde 1978.
- "Une nouvelle France, Réflexions 1" (A new France, Reflections 1), Nil Editions 1994.
- "La France pour tous" (France for all), Nil Editions 1995.
- "Mon combat pour la France" (My fight for France), Editions Odile Jacob, 2007
- "Mon combat pour la paix" (My fight for peace), Editions Odile Jacob, 2007