Marcel Peyrouton (; 2 July 1887 – 6 November 1983) was a French diplomat and politician. He served as the French Minister of the Interior from 1940 to 1941, during

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 served as the French Ambassador to Argentina from 1936 to 1940, and from 1941 to 1942. He served as the Governor-General of

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

in 1943. He was acquitted in 1948.

Early life

Marcel Peyrouton was born in 1887. He received a Doctorate in Law from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. His thesis was entitled ''Étude sur les monopoles en Indochine''. In 1910 he entered the central administration of the Colonies as a trainee. In 1914, Mr. Peyrouton was administrator of the Colonies. He joined the army as a sergeant in an infantry regiment. He was wounded on August 24 in the battle of Préjanville ossibly during the Battle of the Trouée de Charmes He went into the air force and continued his services as a pilot-aviator in the squadrons of the front, in the Vosges, then in Syria. He was demobilized with the rank of lieutenant-pilot-aviator. During his service he was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

with two citations.

Career

After the war Mr. Peyrouton was assigned to Madagascar as deputy director of the civil cabinet of the Governor General of this Colony, then was delegate of the Commissioner of the Republic in Cameroon. He was appointed Chief Administrator of the Colonies in 1923. In 1925, he was director of the Economic Agency of the African territories under mandate, then, in 1928, fulfilled the functions of the deputy chief of the cabinet of the Minister of the Colonies. He was Appointed Governor of the Colonies in 1929 and served as lieutenant-governor of the Middle Congo. In 1929 he was named an officer of the

Legion of Honor 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. The award is seen in the picture from the 1930s accompanying this article Peyrouton next served as the Secretary General of

from 1931 to 1933, and as the Resident-General of Tunisia from 1933 to 1936. He served as the French Ambassador to Argentina from 1936 to 1940. Peyrouton served as the French Minister of the Interior from 1940 to 1941, during

. He served as the French Ambassador to Argentina once again from 1941 to 1942. Peyrouton was appointed as the Governor-General of French Algeria in January 1943. While American Jewish organizations objected to his appointment due to his recent Vichy past, US Ambassador

Robert Daniel Murphy Robert Daniel Murphy (October 28, 1894 – January 9, 1978) was an American diplomat. He served as the first United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs when the position was established during the Eisenhower administration. Ea ...

suggested Peyrouton was not antisemitic. Peyrouton resigned in June. In letters to Generals

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

and Giraud he requested that he be allowed to serve as a captain in the infantry, the rank he held in the army reserve. His offer was accepted but he was arrested preventively on December 22, 1943 on orders from the Committee of National Liberation. Peyrouton gave evidence at Pétain's trial chiefly on the arrest of Laval. He was acquitted by the High Court on December 22, 1948. The court found that he had made serious mistakes but these were mitigated by his subsequent efforts to resist the Germans. The Legion of Honor Leonore databaseLeonore database
/ref> of recipients contains no information on Mr. Peyrouton suggesting that his award was revoked presumably in response to his collaboration with Germany.

Personal life and death

Peyrouton married Paulette Malvy, the daughter of politician Louis Malvy. He died on 6 November 1983, aged 96.

Works

Peyrouton, Marcel (1913). ''Étude sur les Monopoles en Indochine'' (Paris: E. Larose).
* * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peyrouton, Marcel 1887 births 1983 deaths University of Paris alumni People of Vichy France French interior ministers Ambassadors of France to Argentina French non-fiction writers 20th-century non-fiction writers Governors general of Algeria French collaborators with Nazi Germany