Alain Peyrefitte
Alain Peyrefitte, 1964
Minister of Justice
In office
30 March 1977 – 22 May 1981
PresidentValéry Giscard d'Estaing
Prime MinisterRaymond Barre
Preceded byOlivier Guichard
Succeeded byMaurice Faure
Personal details
Born(1925-08-26)26 August 1925
Najac, France
Died27 November 1999(1999-11-27) (aged 74)
16th arrondissement of Paris, France
Alma materÉcole normale supérieure
École nationale d'administration

Alain Peyrefitte (French pronunciation: [alɛ̃ pɛʁfit]; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) was a French scholar and politician. He was a confidant of Charles de Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland. Peyrefitte is remembered for his support for partitioning Algeria amid the Algerian War.[1]

Peyrefitte served as Minister of Information from 1962 to 1966, establishing the rules of presidential debates between the two electoral rounds; and as Minister of Justice from 1977 to 1981, being involved in the affair surrounding the mysterious death of Robert Boulin in 1979.

He became a member of the Académie française in 1977.

On 15 December 1986, he survived an assassination attempt by members of Action Directe (AD) in front of his house. The driver of his car was killed in the bomb attack.[2]

Upon his death in 1999 he was honored by burial in Les Invalides which also houses the tomb of Napoleon and other revered national leaders.

Books

He wrote The Immobile Empire[3] and Quand la Chine s'éveillera… le monde tremblera. Outside France he is probably best known for his book Le Mal français [fr] (translated as The Trouble with France), which addresses the question of whether there is something unique to the French character that has caused some of the country's peculiar recurring problems. The book places his own observations and experiences as a journalist and government minister inside a panoramic view of French and European history from the medieval to the modern era.

Political career

Governmental functions

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

Member of the National Assembly of France for Seine-et-Marne : 1958–1962 (Became secretary of State in 1962) / Reelected in 1967, but he stays minister / 1968–1973 (Became minister in 1973) / 1974–1977 (Became minister in 1977) / Reelected in 1978, but he stays minister / 1981–1995 (Became senator in 1995). Elected in 1958, reelected in 1962, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993.

Senate of France

General Council

Municipal Council

Honours

Works

Non-fiction, except when noted.

References

  1. ^ "Summer 1961: When France Was Considering Creating a "French Israel" in Algeria". THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  2. ^ "15 décembre 1986 - France. Attentat manqué contre Alain Peyrefitte - Événement".
  3. ^ (New York: Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 1992 ISBN 0-394-58654-9).
  4. ^ Sovereign Ordonnance n° 14.274 of 18 Nov. 1999 : promotions or nominations
  5. ^ Archives of the l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Political offices Preceded byOlivier Guichard Minister of Justice 1977–1981 Succeeded byMaurice Faure Preceded byChristian Fouchet Minister of National Education 1967–1968 Succeeded byFrançois-Xavier Ortoli
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