Charles Guernier (26 April 1870 – 19 February 1943) was a French politician. He was deputy for

Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019.

from 1906 to 1924 and from 1928 to 1942. He was

Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones The Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, to which was later added the charge of Telephones (the position was later named "Minister of Posts and Telecommunications"), was, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of the French Posta ...

from 1931 to 1932, and

Minister of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

and the Merchant Marine in 1932.

Early years

Charles Guernier was born on 26 April 1870 in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...

, Ille-et-Vilaine. Guernier grew up in Saint-Malo, then was admitted to the

University of Rennes The University of Rennes is a public research university which will be officially reconstituted on 1 January 2023 and located in the city of Rennes, in Upper Brittany, France. The University of Rennes has been divided for almost 50 years, be ...

. He studied Law, and obtained his doctorate in 1897 with a thesis on Scottish crofters. He lectured at the Faculty of Law in the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, then taught a course on Political Economy and History of Economic Doctrines in the Faculty of Law of the

University of Lyon The University of Lyon (french: Université de Lyon), located in Lyon and Saint-Étienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 11 members and 24 associated institutions. The three main universities in this center are: C ...

. He was a professor at the

University of Lille The University of Lille (french: Université de Lille, abbreviated as ULille, UDL or univ-lille) is a French public research university based in Lille, Hauts-de-France. It has its origins in the University of Douai (1559), and resulted from th ...

from 1898 to 1905.

Political career

Guernier was elected deputy for the first district of Saint-Malo,

, on 6 May 1906 . He sat with the Gauche démocratique (Democratic Left). He was reelected on 20 April 1910, and sat with the same group. He became a general councilor for Ille-et-Vilaine representing the canton of

Cancale Cancale (; ; Gallo: ''Cauncall'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is known as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan. Population Inhabitants of Cancale are called ''Cancalais'' in French. ...

in 1910, and held this seat for thirty years. On 26 April 1914 he was again elected deputy and sat with the Gauche radicale (Radical Left). Throughout his parliamentary career Guernier was involved in foreign policy and the merchant navy. He was under-secretary of state for the Merchant Navy from 10–13 June 1914. He was high commissioner to the British government for regulation of allied maritime affairs from 10 April 1917 to 12 September 1917. At the end of this assignment he was appointed Commander of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) a ...

. On 16 November 1919 Guernier was reelected deputy and sat with the Gauche républicaine démocratique (Democratic Republican Left). He was elected chairman of the Ille-et-Vilaine council in 1921 in place of René Brice, who had died, and held the presidency until 1924. He was defeated in the parliamentary election of 1924. On 29 April 1928 Guernier was elected deputy for Ille-et-Vilaine and sat with the Gauche radicale (Radical Left). He represented the first district of Saint-Malo. Guernier was Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932. In this post Guernier said public broadcasting had to "establish across the nation a continuous spiritual connection so that alongside the grand national works that advantage Paris and our other large cities, the innumerable equally powerful and precious works generated throughout many parts of our provinces can also be diffused over the entire country. He was Minister of Public Works and the Merchant Marine in from 20 February 1932 to 3 June 1932. On 1 May 1932 he was reelected deputy, and sat with the Gauche radicale list. He was reelected on 26 April 1936. On 10 July 1940 Guernier was among the deputies of the Democratic and Radical Independent Left who voted for the constitutional change requested by Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

that established the

Vichy government Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

. He died on 19 February 1943 in Paris, aged 72.

Publications

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Notes

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guernier, Charles 1870 births 1943 deaths Politicians from Saint-Malo Democratic Republican Alliance politicians Independent Radical politicians French Ministers of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones French Ministers of Public Works French Ministers of Merchant Marine Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 10th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 11th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 15th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic