born July 5, 1872, Troyes, France
died March 26, 1957, Lyon
French politician and writer.
He became mayor of Lyon in 1905 and kept the post for most of his life. Elected as a member of the Radical Party to the Chamber of Deputies (1919), he led the opposition to the Bloc National as head of the Cartel des Gauches (1924). As prime minister (1924–25) he forced the resignation of the president, Dawes Plan and to recognize the Soviet Union. In 1926 he was prime minister for three days and held the position again in 1932. He abstained from voting when the National Assembly gave full powers to {{link=P%C3%A9tain, Henri- Philippe">Philippe Pétain at Vichy in 1940 and then was arrested and deported to Germany (1942–45). He returned to France and served as president of the National Assembly from 1947 to 1954. In his long career he served in nine different cabinets.