François Mitterrand

Has his look-alike puppet in the French show Les Guignols de l'info (1988).

When the constitution was modified in 1962, it said that French people would directly elect the President of the Republic; thus Mitterrand was the only left-side candidate in 1965 and was qualified for the second round where he had 45% against Charles de Gaulle.

Then he became mayor of Château-Chinon in 1959 and president of the General Council of the Nièvre in 1964.

In 1958, he criticized the Fifth Republic and the way Charles de Gaulle became president and lost his deputy seat, which he got again in 1962 after a short time at the Senate.

He was Minister of the French Overseas Departments, which allowed him to show his will of decolonization, to calm different tensions in the colonies and to create personal and lasting relationships with African leaders; then he retired from this post in 1953 before becoming Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1954-1955 and Minister of Justice in 1956.

French Minister of Veterans & War Victims (1947-1948).

After the war, in November 1946, he was elected deputy in the Nièvre and had several ministerial responsibilities during the 10 first years of the Fourth Republic.

He was 3 times mentioned, then injured and imprisoned but he escaped in December 1941 during his transfer to another war camp. Back to France, he joined the Résistance where he had an important role.

He was finishing his studies in Paris when he was called by the French army in September 1939.

François Mitterrand was born in Jarnac on October 26, 1916.