Pompidou, Georges

(1911-1974)

   statesman

   Born in Montboudif, Cantal, and educated in Paris at the École normale supérieure and the École libre des sciences politiques, Georges Pompidou, the second president of the fifth republic and a close confidant of charles de gaulle, began his career at the Banque Rothschild, where he eventually became general director (1956-62). He had earlier taught literature in Marseille (1939) and served in the Resistance during World War II. Pompidou headed de Gaulle's cabinet from June 1958 to January 1959, and was named prime minister on April 14, 1962. In october, however, he and his government resigned after a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly, which was subsequently dissolved by de Gaulle. Following the electoral victory of the UNR-UDR (Union pour la nouvelle République—Union des démocrates pour la République), Pompidou was recalled as prime minister and, following the events of May 1968, his cabinet signed the Grenelle accords with the principal labor unions. After the crushing victory of the union des démocrates pour la republique (June 1968) that followed the dissolution of the assembly, Pompidou was placed, according to de Gaulle, "in reserve for the Republic," and replaced by maurice couve de murville. After de Gaulle's resignation, Pompidou, who was a deputy for Cantal, was elected president (June 1969). Wanting to continue de Gaulle's policies, he continued the regionalization of France and an active social policy. But he also personally helped in the negotiations (April 1972) that led to the united Kingdom's entry into the European Community (European union), and sought to develop further the modernization of French industry, without completely adhering to the "new society" policy of his prime minister, jacques chaban-del-mas (1969-72), who was replaced by pierre mess-mer (1972-1974). Pompidou died before the end of his term as president.