born April 13 or 15, 1901, Rennes, France
died Jan. 13, 1993, Paris
French politician and premier (1950–51, 1951–52).
A lawyer and industrial executive, he served in Charles de Gaulle 's wartime government (1940–45). Elected to the National Assembly in 1945, he cofounded with François Mitterrand the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance, serving as its president (1946–53). He held several postwar cabinet posts, including minister of defense (1949–50, 1952–54). He sponsored the Pleven Plan for a unified European army, but the European Defense Community , based on his plan, collapsed in 1954. He served as minister of justice (1969–73).