Justin Godart (26 November 1871 – 12 December 1956) was a French lawyer and politician who served as the

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

from 3 June 1932 to 18 December 1932.Justin Godart
Assemblee-nationale.fr, accessed July 2010

Biography

Justin Godart was born into a working-class family 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 ...

on 26 November 1871. Godart was educated at the Collège-lycée Ampère and gained a

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

there. In 1904, Godart was elected the sixth deputy mayor of Lyon as a member of the Radical Party. In 1906, Godart became a Deputy of the French National Assembly, representing Lyon. From 1915 to 1918, Godart served as the

Undersecretary of State Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

for War in charge of the armed forces medical service. When Édouard Herriot became Prime Minister of France in 1924, Godart was appointed as the Minister for Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions. Godart's time in this position came to an end with Herriot's ouster the next year. In 1926, Godart became a Senator, representing the department of Rhone. In 1932, Godart became the Minister of Public Health, again under Herriot. However, Godart did not remain in this position for long, as Herriot again lost power that December. On 10 July 1940 Godart joined the

Vichy 80 The Eighty (''Les Quatre-Vingts'') were a group of elected France, French parliamentarians who, on 10 July 1940, voted against the French Constitutional Law of 1940, constitutional change that effectively dissolved the French Third Republic, Third ...

, a collection of French parliamentarians who unsuccessfully voted against a constitutional amendment dissolving the Third Republic and giving

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 ...

the power to establish a new authoritarian state, now known as

Vichy France 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 te ...

. During

World War II 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 opposing ...

, Godart was involved in Resistance activities, editing an anti-Vichy newspaper. Upon Lyon's liberation by Allied forces in September 1944, he became the interim Mayor of Lyon. In 1945, Godart resigned from the Radical Party. After his political career, Godart continued to play an active role in campaigning for improved labour conditions, such as the

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses. An eight-hour work day has its origins in the ...

. Until 1950, Godart represented France in the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. He died in Paris on 12 December 1956. In 2004, Israel conferred the

Righteous among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sa ...

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

upon Godart for his services to Jews during

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

.Justin Godart
, Bilange, F. Retrieved 2010-07-22.

Bibliography

* ''La plaisante sagesse lyonnaise'' / Adages and moral reflections by Catherin Bugnard * ''Travailleurs et métiers lyonnais'', 1909 * ''Laurent Mourguet et Guignol'', 1912 * ''La révolution de 1830 à Lyon'', 1930 * ''Le jansénisme à Lyon'', 1934, library Félix Alcan * ''Les Voraces à Lyon en 1848'', 1948

References

External links

*

– his activity to save Jews' lives during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Godart, Justin 1871 births 1956 deaths Politicians from Lyon Radical Party (France) politicians Government ministers of France French Ministers of Health 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 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Senators of the Third Republic Senators of Rhône (department) Mayors of Lyon 20th-century French lawyers The Vichy 80 French Resistance members French Righteous Among the Nations Knights of Malta Burials at the Cimetière parisien de Bagneux