Daniel Cordier
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Daniel Cordier (10 August 1920 – 20 November 2020) was a
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
fighter, historian and art dealer. As a member of the Camelots du Roi, he engaged with
Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...
in June 1940. He was secretary to Jean Moulin from 1942 to 1943, and his opinions evolved to the left. He was named a Companion of the Liberation in 1944, and, after the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, he became a historian and art dealer. He was an advocate for
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Not ...
.


Biography

Daniel Bouyjou was born on 10 August 1920 in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. His father, René Bouyjou, worked in the family coffee business, which flourished across
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. In 1919, René married Jeanne Gauthier, although the couple divorced in 1925. Jeanne remarried in 1927 to Charles Cordier. When Daniel joined the
French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, he listed his official last name as "Bouyjou-Cordier". With René passing away in 1943, he would officially take the name "Cordier" in 1945. Throughout his youth, Daniel's father retained custody. He attended various Catholic schools, such as the École Saint-Elme d'Arcachon. Influenced by royalism and Maurrassisme by his stepfather, Cordier joined
Action Française ''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...
at the age of 17 and founded the Cercle Charles-Maurras in Bordeaux. Cordier admired
Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet and critic. He was an organiser and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that was monarchist, corporatis ...
and was anti-Semitic, anti-socialist, anti-communist, anti-democratic, and ultranationalist during this period. Even during his time with Free France, he hoped for judgment against the socialist politician Léon Blum. However, patriotism for France outlasted his early ideals and he joined the
Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...
. In June 1940, while with his family in Bescat, Cordier listened on the radio as
Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...
announced the French surrender to Germany and the armistice. Outraged, he distributed a pamphlet against Pétain. He, along with 16 others, embarked on a Belgian ship headed to
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. However, the ship landed in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. He reached Falmouth on 25 June and joined his fellow Frenchmen three days later. He was assigned to the to undergo training. Following his training, he was given the rank of Lieutenant. Entering the Bureau Central de Renseignements et d'Action, Cordier parachuted into Montluçon on 26 July 1942. He quickly reached
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
and began under the service of Jean Moulin of the French National Committee. He took the pseudonym Alain and began work as Moulin's secretary. He managed mail and radio links to London and created various organs of the Resistance. In Lyon, he managed to recruit Laure Diebold, Hugues Limonti, Suzanne Olivier, Joseph Van Dievort, Georges Archimbaud, Laurent Girard, Louis Rapp, and Hélène Vernay. In Paris, he brought Jean-Louis Théobald, Claire Chevrillon, and Jacqueline Pery d'Alincourt to the Resistance. In Lyon, he would eventually be replaced by Tony de Graaff. Cordier's work led to the foundation of the National Council of the Resistance on 27 May 1943. To create this council, many compromises had to be made between Moulin and
Pierre Brossolette Pierre Brossolette (; 25 June 1903 – 22 March 1944) was a French journalist, politician and major hero of the French Resistance in World War II. Brossolette ran a Resistance intelligence hub from a Parisian bookshop on the Rue de la Pompe, be ...
, a colleague of Charles de Gaulle. After Moulin's death, Brossolette called for Cordier's return to London. However, he stayed with Moulin's successor, Claude Bouchinet-Serreulles until 21 March 1944. He crossed the
Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
and entered
Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
, where he was briefly interned at the Miranda concentration camp. He then joined British forces. Historian Jacques Baynac suggested in his book ''Présumé Jean Moulin'' that Cordier had been arrested by
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
around 14 June 1943, a claim denied by Cordier. As he would later tell in his autobiography, ''Alias Caracella'', Cordier abandoned his royalist beliefs, partly because he felt betrayed by his idol, Charles Maurras, who supported
Vichy France Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
. He also grew uncomfortable with his anti-Semitic beliefs. After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Cordier stopped discussing the Resistance for more than thirty years. He dedicated himself to political activism, having given up his far-right beliefs after becoming acquainted with the radical socialist Jean Moulin. He followed
humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
and non-Marxist
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
beliefs. He founded the Club Jean-Moulin in the 1960s. During the
2017 French presidential election Presidential elections were held in France on 23 April and 7 May 2017. Incumbent president François Hollande of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (PS) was eligible to run for a second term, but declared on 1 December 2016 that he wo ...
, he was outspoken against
Marine Le Pen Marion Anne Perrine "Marine" Le Pen (; born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician of the far-right National Rally, National Rally party (RN). She served as the party's president from 2011 to 2021, and ran for the French presidency in ...
, describing her potential election as "monstrous". Cordier had a profound career as an art dealer. He spoke highly of Jean Moulin in the preface to his donation to the
Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the (), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English and colloquially as Beaubourg, is a building complex in Paris, France. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the architectural team of ...
. In 1946, he began studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. At that time, he bought his first work, a painting by Jean Dewasne. His discovery of the works of Nicolas de Staël was "his revelation of modern art". Other artists he collected included
Georges Braque Georges Braque ( ; ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with ...
, Chaïm Soutine, Hans Hartung,
Jacques Villon Jacques Villon (July 31, 1875 – June 9, 1963), also known as Gaston Duchamp, was a French Cubist and Abstract art, abstract painter and printmaker. Early life Born Émile Méry Frédéric Gaston Duchamp in Damville, Eure, Damville, Eure, ...
, Dado,
Arman Arman (November 17, 1928 – October 22, 2005) was a French and American artist. Born Armand Fernandez in Nice, France, Arman was a painter who moved from using objects for the ink or paint traces they leave (''cachets'', ''allures d'objet'') t ...
, Antoni Tàpies, Georges Mathieu,
Friedensreich Hundertwasser Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (), was an Austrian visual artist and architect who also worked in the field of environmental protection ...
, Gaston Chaissac, and others. In November 1956, he began exhibiting his artworks, which would show the start of a long and successful career in art dealing. In May 1957, he organized the first personal exhibition of Bernard Réquichot, whom he had met in 1950. Cordier became very active in the cause for gay rights, he wrote in his autobiography ''Alias Caracalla : mémoires, 1940-1943''. In it, he revealed his homosexuality, which he had kept a secret due to the fact that "the hatred towards homosexuality was terrible". In 2013, he announced his support for gay marriage. His diary, ''Les Feux de Saint-Elme'', was published in 2014 while the second volume of his autobiography was in production, though that would never be published. He wrote of his sexual awakening while attending an all-boys boarding school in
Arcachon Arcachon (; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for p ...
. He was a friend of
Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 25 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popu ...
, as well as a tutor for Hervé Vilard and inspired him to pursue a singing career. In 2020, during the commemoration of the Appeal of 18 June,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
honoured the last four Companions of the Liberation: Cordier, together with Edgard Tupët-Thomé, Pierre Simonet, and Hubert Germain. The four men were named to the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
by Ambassador of the United Kingdom to France Ed Llewellyn. He received the award at his home in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
on 7 July 2020.


Death

Cordier died in Cannes on 20 November 2020 at the age of 100. His death left Hubert Germain as the last surviving Companion of the Liberation.
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
stated in a press release: Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly and her Secretary of State, Geneviève Darrieussecq issued a joint statement, saying "a romantic life which is dying out, spent in the service of Liberty, for the greatness of France".


Decorations

* Companion of the Liberation (1944) *
Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 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 d ...
*Prix littéraire de la Résistance for ''Alias Caracalla : mémoires, 1940-1943'' (2009) * Prix Renaudot de l'essai for ''Alias Caracalla : mémoires, 1940-1943'' (2009) *Prix Nice-Baie-des-Anges for ''Alias Caracalla : mémoires, 1940-1943'' (2009) *Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
(2017) *Honorary Member of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(2020)


Works

*''Jean Moulin et le Conseil national de la Résistance'' (1983) *''Jean Moulin. L’Inconnu du Panthéon'' (1989) *''Jean Moulin. La République des catacombes'' (1999) *''Pierre Brosolette ou Le Destin d'un héros'' (2001) *''Alias Caracalla : mémoires, 1940-1943'' (2009) *''De l’Histoire à l’histoire'' (2013) *''Les Feux de Saint-Elme'' (2014)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordier, Daniel 1920 births 2020 deaths French men centenarians French Resistance members French art dealers Free French military personnel of World War II French gay writers Writers from Bordeaux Honorary members of the Order of the British Empire French non-fiction writers 21st-century French LGBTQ people Prix Renaudot de l'essai winners