Paul Henri Marie Joseph Marchandeau, (

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 ...

, Tarn on 10 August 1882 - Paris 15th on 31 May 1968), was a lawyer, journalist and French Radical Socialist politician. He was awarded the '' Croix de guerre'' and the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' for his actions during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. From 1925 until 1942, he was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Reims. During the 1930s, he was, successively, French minister of finance, minister of the interior, minister of justice, and minister of the budget.

Youth

He was the first captain of the rugby club of the

UA Gaillac Union Athlétique Gaillac is a French rugby union club currently competing in the Fédérale 3 league, the third level of the French amateur league system, after having been forcibly relegated from the second level of the French professional le ...

of 1900–1901. More precisely, he was the captain of the Glaïeuls (school team) and Stade Gaillacois (civil athletic association) (the Athletic Union Gaillacoise not being formed until 20 December 1940).

Journalist and local elected official

In 1911, he started with the ''Éclaireur de l'Est'' (Light of the East) and quickly became editor and CEO. He was elected to the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

and became

of Reims in 1925 until he resigned in 1942. He was president of the Association des maires de France (Association of Mayors of France) in 1934. He was elected General Councilor of the 3rd canton in 1935 and president of the General Council of the Marne in 1937. He is a member of the

Masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

of Reims La Sincérité, and was one of many elected Freemasons of the Marne.

Political career

In 1926, Paul Marchandeau began a political career on the national level. Elected Deputy of

Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nethe ...

, he has first a number of terms as

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 ...

. * Undersecretary of the Interior of 21 to 25 February 1930 in the government of Chautemps (1) * Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of 13 December 1930 to 22 January 1931 in the Government of Théodore Steeg * Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of 3 June to 14 December 1932 in the Government of Edouard Herriot (3) * Budget Minister of 23 November 1933 to 27 January 1934 in the Government of Chautemps (2) * Minister of Finance from 30 January – 7 February 1934 in the Government of Édouard Daladier (2) * Interior Minister from 13 October – 8 November 1934 in the Government of Gaston Doumergue (2) * Minister of Commerce and Industry of 8 November 1934 to 31 May 1935 in the Government of Pierre-Étienne Flandin (1) * Minister of Finance from 18 January to 10 March 1938 in the Government of Chautemps (4) * Minister of Finance from 10 to 1 April November 1938 in the Government of Édouard Daladier (3) * Minister of Justice 1 November 1938 to 1 September 1939 in the Government of Édouard Daladier (3) and Government of Édouard Daladier (4) As

Keeper of the Seals The title keeper of the seals or equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of the great seal of a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particular cabinet or ministerial offi ...

, he was the author of the decree of 21 April 1939 amending the

Law on the Freedom of the Press of 29 July 1881 The Law on the Freedom of the Press of 29 July 1881 (french: Loi sur la liberté de la presse du 29 juillet 1881), often called the Press Law of 1881 or the Lisbonne Law after its rapporteur, Eugène Lisbonne, is a law that defines the freedoms and ...

by providing prosecution "''when defamation or insult committed against a group of persons, by their origin, race or religion, will have been designed to arouse hatred among citizens or residents''" (translated). This law was repealed by the law of the Vichy government of 16 August 1940. On 10 July 1940, the vote in favor of the draft law granting full powers to 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 ...

. He continued his political career under the Vichy regime during World War II (

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Reims, president of the association of mayors of France, receiving the title in August 1942 from Marshal Petain and Pierre Laval). He resigned and retired from political life in 1943. He was cremated at

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

and his ashes were brought back to be buried in the South Cemetery of Reims where you can see his bronze medallion by Leon Margotin (1859–1937), dated 1930.

Decorations

Knight Legion of Honor; he holds the

Croix de guerre 1914–1918 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort depa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marchandeau, Paul 1882 births 1968 deaths People from Gaillac Politicians from Occitania (administrative region) Radical Party (France) politicians French interior ministers French Ministers of Justice French Ministers of Finance French Ministers of Budget French Ministers of Commerce and Industry 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 Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic French Freemasons French military personnel of World War I Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)