Jacques Camille Paris (2 November 1902,

Gaillac Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois. Geography Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It has ...

– 17 July 1953,

Talence Talence (, ; oc, Talança, ; ca, Talença, ) is a commune in the Gironde department, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the south side. It is ...

), was the first

Secretary General of the Council of Europe The Secretary General of the Council of Europe (french: Secrétaire général du Conseil de l'Europe, links=no) is appointed by the Parliamentary Assembly on the recommendation of the Committee of Ministers for a period of five years. The secreta ...

from 11 August 1949 until his death. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he was head of the Commissariat Général aux Affaires Etrangères for the French government in London and Algiers. He was appointed Executive Secretary of the French delegation which drew up the plans for the Council of Europe in 1948 and 1949. There is a street named after him in Bordeaux. The Rose Window of

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

, donated by the Council of Europe in 1956 and featuring the

European flag The Flag of Europe or European Flag consists of twelve golden stars forming a circle on a blue field. It was designed and adopted in 1955 by the Council of Europe (CoE) as a symbol for the whole of Europe. Since 1985, the flag has also been ...

above the image of the Virgin Mary, is also dedicated to him. Jacques Paris married Reine Claudel, the daughter of

Paul Claudel Paul Claudel (; 6 August 1868 – 23 February 1955) was a French poet, dramatist and diplomat, and the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel. He was most famous for his verse dramas, which often convey his devout Catholicism. Early lif ...

. When he died in a road accident in Talence in the summer of 1953, the Pope sent Paul Claudel a letter of condolence. His daughter Reine Marie Paris was the biographer of

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

, her great aunt. The choice of a French national as the first Secretary General for the Council of Europe, like the choice of Strasbourg as the seat of the organisation, was the result of a deal between the British and the French. In return, the French accepted the British blueprint of an organisation with limited powers, including a parliamentary assembly that was purely consultative.

References

Council of Europe Secretaries-General 1902 births 1953 deaths {{France-politician-stub