Louis-Ernest Lafont (26 July 1879 in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

– 7 May 1946 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

French National Assembly.
Ernest, Louis LAFONT (1879 - 1946)
'Gordon, David M.
Liberalism and Social Reform: Industrial Growth and Progressiste Politics in France, 1880 - 1914
'. Westport, Conn. .a. Greenwood Press, 1996. p. 113) was a French

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

politician. Lafont represented

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

in the French National Assembly between 1914 and 1928, and then

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...

between 1928 and 1936. He served as Minister of Public Health 1935-1936. Politically, he was a disciple of

Hubert Lagardelle Hubert Lagardelle (8 July 1874 – 20 September 1958) was a pioneer of French revolutionary syndicalism. He regularly authored reviews for the Plans magazine, was co-founder of the journal Prélude, and Minister of Labour in the Vichy regime. ...

.Wohl, Robert.
French Communism in the Making, 1914-1924
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1966. p. 31 A lawyer by profession from a bourgeois background, Lafont was a graduate of the '' Ecole des sciences politiques'' and a lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeals. He obtained a doctorate in Law. He served as the legal attorney of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). Inside

French Section of the Workers International The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was foun ...

(SFIO), Lafont belonged to the insurrectionary syndicalist and anti-parliamentary left. In 1910 he contested the parliamentary elections, but trailed behind the winning candidate by merely 500 votes. In 1912 he became the mayor of the socialist local government in

Firminy Firminy (; oc, Frominiu) is a commune in the Loire department in central France. It lies on the river Ondaine, 13 km southwest of Saint-Étienne by rail. History The ancient name of the town was ''Firminiaco'' or ''Firminiacus'' (lit. " ...

. In 1914 he was elected to the French parliament from the Le Chambon-Feugerolles constituency, with 11,256 votes.Gordon, David M.
Liberalism and Social Reform: Industrial Growth and Progressiste Politics in France, 1880 - 1914
'. Westport, Conn. .a. Greenwood Press, 1996. p. 114 During this period Lafont was able to mobilize sizeable support from the middle class of Firminy, particularly through campaigns against alcoholism and prostitution. Lafont was re-elected to parliament in 1919, the sole Guesdist deputy from

. Lafont travelled to Petrograd in July 1920, seeking to participate in the second congress of the

Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by ...

.Wohl, Robert.
French Communism in the Making, 1914-1924
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1966. p. 180 However, he was expelled from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian M ...

's orders.Wohl, Robert.
French Communism in the Making, 1914-1924
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 1966. p. 184 Lafont had been accused of contacts with the

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' ...

.Friends of Soviet Russia, and Russian Soviet Government Bureau.
Soviet Russia Pictorial
'. Chicago, etc: Friends of Soviet Russia, etc.], 1921. p. 362 Lafont did however become a member of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Un ...

in the same year. He was expelled from the party in 1923, due to his links to the League for Human Rights.Irvine, William D.
Between Justice and Politics: The Ligue Des Droits De L'homme, 1898-1945
'. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 2007. p. 77 Lafont joined the

Socialist-Communist Union The Socialist-Communist Union (french: Union socialiste-communiste, U.S.-C.), later renamed the Socialist-Communist Party (french: Parti socialiste-communiste), was a socialist political party in France between 1923 and 1932. Founding The party was ...

. He was the sole candidate of that party elected in the 1928 French National Assembly election. Labour and Socialist International.
Kongress-Protokolle der Sozialistischen Arbeiter-Internationale - B. 3.1 Brüssel 1928
'. Glashütten im Taunus: D. Auvermann, 1974. p. IV. 52 In the late 1920s, Lafont was one of the more radical profiles in the League for Human Rights, advocating labour rights and pacifism. Lafont was named Minister of Public Health in the cabinets of Fernand Bouisson and

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occ ...

, formed in 1935. Notably, Laval's first employment had been as the secretary of Lafont whilst Lafont had worked as a lawyer for the CGT.Torrès, Henry, and Norbert Guterman.
Pierre Laval
'. New York: Oxford university press, 1941. p. 14 Lafont's cabinet tenures lasted between 1 and 7 June 1935 in the Bouisson cabinet, and between 7 June 1935 and 24 January 1936 in Laval's government. His participation in the national government led to him being expelled socialist parliamentary group. In 1936, he lost his parliamentary seat to the SFIO candidate

Auguste Muret Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold a ...

(the mayor of Gap). He was married to Zinaida Lafont. Lafont died on 7 May 1946 in the Seventh ''arrondissement'' of Paris, at the age of 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafont, Ernest 1879 births 1946 deaths Politicians from Lyon Politicians from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes French Section of the Workers' International politicians Socialist-Communist Union politicians Socialist Party of France – Jean Jaurès Union politicians French Ministers of Civil Service 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 13th 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 20th-century French lawyers