Pierre Gabriel Adhéaume de Chevigné (; 16 June 1909 – 4 August 2004) was a French politician, who was the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

in the Fourth Republic between 14 May and 1 June 1958.

Early life

Chevigné was born on 16 June 1909 in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. He was a son of François Henri Marie Joseph Auguste de Chevigné and the former Gisèle Colas.

Career

Chevigné graduated from Saint Cyr and became a career officer. He was wounded on several occasions in 1940, managed to rejoin

Charles 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 ...

in London and was a colonel in the Free French Forces. After initial postings in Syria and Lebanon he was sent to Washington in 1942 as military attaché for the Free French. Upon his return to London he became chief of staff of the French Forces in Great-Britain. After the Liberation he was sent to Madagascar as High-Commissioner. A member of the Popular Republican Movement party, briefly served as the

in the Fourth Republic between 14 May and 1 June 1958 under

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Pierre Pflimlin. In 1954, he was wounded slightly by grenade fragments during a tour of the

Indo-China Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

fighting front while inspecting French troops that had landed in territory held by Communist Việt Minh rebels. Prime Minister Pflimlin served only briefly before the May 1958 crisis in France during the turmoil of the

Algerian War of Independence The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

which led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic and its replacement by the Fifth Republic led by

who returned to power after a twelve-year absence. He traveled to New York City in 1952.

Personal life

He was married to Hélène Rodocanachi (1911–1939), a daughter of Petros Rodocanachis and the former Chariklia Salvagou. Together, they had two daughters, including: * Gisèle Françoise Andrée Simone de Chevigné (b. 1933), who married Count François de La Croix de Castries (1919/20–2011) who had a military career in Korea,

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

, and

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 ...

. After the death of his wife in 1939, he remarried to Anne d'Ormesson (–2008). Pierre de Chevigné died in Biarritz on 4 April 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chevigne, Pierre De 1909 births 2004 deaths Politicians from Toulon Counts of France Popular Republican Movement politicians Ministers of defence of France Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945) Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Members of Parliament for Pyrénées-Atlantiques Colonial governors of French Madagascar French general councillors Mayors of places in Nouvelle-Aquitaine Lycée Saint-Louis alumni French military personnel of World War II French people of the First Indochina War French people of the Algerian War Companions of the Liberation Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)