Maurice Couve de Murville
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Maurice Jacques Couve de Murville
(b. Rheims, 24 Jan. 1907; d. 1999) French; Minister of Foreign Affairs 1958 – 68, Prime Minister 1968 – 9 A member of the Protestant "Couve" family ("de Murville" had been added in 1925), Couve studied in Paris, where he read literature and law and graduated from the École Libre des Sciences Politiques. He married the painter Jacqueline Schweisguth (also Protestant). In 1932 he became an inspecteur des finances and moved rapidly up the civil service hierarchy (he participated in the negotiations for the Wiesbaden armistice). Couve then worked for the Vichy regime but in 1943 joined General Giraud as Financial Commissioner for Free France. When Giraud was sidelined Couve rallied to de Gaulle and stayed with exemplary loyalty until the General's death. De Gaulle moved him to diplomatic responsibilities and he seemed destined for an ambassadorial career in the 1950s. However, when de Gaulle returned to power in 1958 he was given one of the key posts in the new Republic: Foreign Minister. From then on Couve was at the centre of the active foreign policy conducted by the General: decolonization, rifts in the Atlantic Alliance, and a struggle with the European Community. The achievements of Couve at the Foreign Ministry were, it can be assumed, largely in the implementation of a policy determined by the General and often leaving Couve in the dark. (Outsiders sometimes had the impression that Couve knew no more than they did about the General's intentions.) "Ice cold Couve" cut a strange figure in the tempestuous foreign policy set by de Gaulle but he was a faithful follower and put his diplomatic skills at the service of the General's designs — whatever those were. In July 1968 Pompidou was replaced by Couve as Prime Minister. This was a post for which he was ill suited and, with the General's popularity sliding, he was not a memorable Prime Minister. Couve's talents were technocratic, he had no inclination to intrigue or for political campaigning (he was famously incapable of glad handing electioneering). De Gaulle's defeat at the referendum of April 1969 and Pompidou's election as President caused him to leave office and he became a "Baron" of the Gaullist movement — a distant, cold but respected figure.
Couve de Murville, Maurice (mōrēs' kūv də mürvēl'), 1907-99, French politician and diplomat. After World War II he served as ambassador to Egypt, the United States, and West Germany. As minister of foreign affairs in Charles de Gaulle's administration (1958-68), he pursued the policies of keeping France out of NATO military operations and preventing Great Britain from becoming a member of the European Economic Community (Common Market). He served briefly as finance minister (May-July, 1968) and then as premier until June, 1969. He was a member of the national assembly (1973-86) and was elected to the senate in 1986, serving until 1995.
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Maurice Couve de Murville
For the former Archbishop of Birmingham, see Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville.
| Maurice Couve de Murville | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 10 July 1968 – 20 June 1969 |
|
| President | Charles de Gaulle Alain Poher (interim) |
| Preceded by | Georges Pompidou |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Chaban-Delmas |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 1 June 1958 – 30 May 1968 |
|
| President | René Coty Charles de Gaulle |
| Prime Minister | Michel Debre Georges Pompidou |
| Preceded by | Rene Pleven |
| Succeeded by | Michel Debre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 January 1907 Reims |
| Died | 24 December 1999 (aged 92) Paris |
| Political party | UDR |
| Occupation | Military Diplomat Civil Servant Politician |
| Religion | Protestant[1][2] |
Maurice Couve de Murville (French pronunciation: [moʁis kuv də myʁvil]; 24 January 1907 – 24 December 1999) was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaulle.
He was born Maurice Couve (his father acquired the name de Murville in 1925[3]) in Reims and died in Paris at the age of 92 from natural causes.
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Contents
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Life
Couve de Murville joined the corps of finance inspectors in 1930, and in 1940 became Director of External Finances of the Vichy régime, in which capacity he sat at the armistice council of Wiesbaden. In March 1943, after the American landing in North Africa, he was one of the few senior officials of Vichy to join the Free French. He left for Algiers, via Spain, where he joined General Henri Giraud. On 7 June 1943, he was named commissioner of finance of the French Committee of National Liberation (CFLN). A few months later, he joined General Charles de Gaulle. In February 1945, he became member of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (GPRF) with the rank of ambassador attached to the Italian government.
After the war, he occupied several posts as French Ambassador, in Cairo (1950 to 1954), at NATO (1954), in Washington (1955 to 1956) and in Bonn (1956 to 1958). When General de Gaulle returned to power in 1958, he became Foreign Minister, a post he retained for ten years until the reshuffle that followed the events of May 1968 where he replaced Finance minister Michel Debré, keeping this post only a short time: very soon after the elections, he became a transitional Prime Minister, replacing Georges Pompidou. The following year he was succeeded by Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
Couve de Murville continued his political career first as a UDR deputy, then RPR deputy for Paris until 1986, then as a senator until 1995.
Archbishop Maurice Noël Léon Couve de Murville, the Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Birmingham (1929–2007), was his cousin.
Published works
- Une politique étrangère, 1958–1969 (1971). ISBN unknown
- Le Monde en face (1989). ISBN 2-259-02222-7
Political career
Governmental functions
Prime minister : 1968–1969
Minister of Foreign Affairs : 1958–1968
Minister of Economy and Finance : May–July 1968
Electoral mandates
Member of the National Assembly of France for Paris : June 1968 (He leaves his seat because he is minister) / 1973–1986
Senator of Paris : 1986–1995
Couve de Murville's Government
The cabinet from 10 July 1968 – 22 June 1969
- Maurice Couve de Murville – Prime Minister
- Michel Debré – Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Pierre Messmer – Minister of Armies
- Raymond Marcellin – Minister of the Interior, Public Health, and Population
- François-Xavier Ortoli – Minister of Economy and Finance
- André Bettencourt – Minister of Industry
- Joseph Fontanet – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Population
- René Capitant – Minister of Justice
- Edgar Faure – Minister of National Education
- Henri Duvillard – Minister of Veterans and War Victims
- André Malraux – Minister of Cultural Affairs
- Robert Boulin – Minister of Agriculture
- Albin Chalandon – Minister of Equipment and Housing
- Jean Chamant – Minister of Transport
- Roger Frey – Minister of Relations with Parliament
- Yves Guéna – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
- Maurice Schumann – Minister of Social Affairs
On 28 April 1969 – Jean-Marcel Jeanneney succeeded Capitant as interim Minister of Justice.
References
External links
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Maurice Couve de Murville" is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by André Diethelm |
Free French Commissioner for Finance 1943 |
Succeeded by Pierre Mendès-France |
| Preceded by René Pleven |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1958–1968 |
Succeeded by Michel Debré |
| Preceded by Michel Debré |
Minister of Economy and Finance 1968 |
Succeeded by François-Xavier Ortoli |
| Preceded by Georges Pompidou |
Prime Minister of France 1968–1969 |
Succeeded by Jacques Chaban-Delmas |
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Oxford Dictionary of Political Biography
A Dictionary of Political Biography. Copyright © 1998, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
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Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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