List of Presidents of France

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Below is a list of Presidents of France. The first President of France is considered to be Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (later Napoleon III), who was elected in the 1848 election, under the French Second Republic. The current president is Emmanuel Macron, from 14 May 2017. He was elected in the 2017 election.

Jean Casimir-Périer spent the shortest time in office, resigning in 1895 only six months and 20 days after taking office. François Mitterrand served the longest, nearly fourteen years.

Of the individuals elected as president, two died in office of natural causes (Félix Faure and Georges Pompidou), and two were assassinated (Marie François Sadi Carnot and Paul Doumer).

Predecessors

After the establishment of the French First Republic in 1792, the three powers of the State were entrusted to the National Convention, the unicameral parliament. The National Convention was led by a president (see List of Presidents of the National Convention), who rotated fortnightly.

From 1793 the National Convention was dominated by its sub-committee, Committee of Public Safety, in which the leading figures were Georges Danton and then Maximilien Robespierre.

After the 9th Thermidor, Robespierre and his followers were arrested and executed, and the National Convention was replaced by a "Legislative Body" divided in Council of Five Hundred (lower house) and Council of Ancients (upper house), while the executive power was took of by a Directory. The Directory was officially led by a president, as stipulated by Article 141 of the Constitution of the Year III. An entirely ceremonial post, the first president was Jean-François Rewbell who was chosen by lot on 2 November 1795. The directors conducted their elections privately, with the presidency rotating every three months.^[1] The last president was Gohier.^[2] The leading figure of the Directory was Paul Barras, the only director to serve throughout the Directory.

In 1799, the Coup of 18 Brumaire deposed the Directory in favor to General Napoleon Bonaparte. The MP Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès was a proponent of a new system of government for the Republic, and the coup initially seemed certain to bring his system into force. The Constitution of the Year VIII establish a new government called Consulate, composed by Bonaparte, Régis de Cambacérès and Lebrun as first, second and third consuls, respectively. In 1804, the First Republic finally dissolved with the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as "Emperor of the French".^[3]

List of officeholders

N°	Portrait	Name[lower-alpha 1] (Birth–Death)	Term of office & Election			Political party	Ref.
			Previous office
The Government of Jacques-Charles Dupont deputised during the interim (24 February 1848 – 9 May 1848).
The Executive Commission deputised during the interim (10 May 1848 – 24 June 1848).
The Government of Louis-Eugène Cavaignac deputised during the interim (28 June 1848 – 20 December 1848).
1		Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte GCLH (1808–1873)	20 December 1848	2 December 1852	1848	Independent[lower-alpha 2]	[5]
MP of the National Assembly for Seine (24 September – 20 December 1848)
After the establishment of the French Second Empire, the Presidency became vacant from 2 December 1852 to 31 August 1871.
The Government of Louis-Jules Trochu deputised during the interim (4 September 1870 – 13 February 1871).
—		Adolphe Thiers GCLH Académie (1797–1877)	17 February 1871	30 August 1871	1871	Independent	[6]
2			31 August 1871	24 May 1873
MP of the National Assembly for Seine (12 February 1871 – 31 August 1871)
3		Patrice de MacMahon MF GCLH MM (1808–1893)	24 May 1873	30 January 1879	1873	Independent[lower-alpha 3]	[8]
General Governor of Algeria (1 September 1864 – 27 July 1870)
4		Jules Grévy GCLH (1807–1891)	30 January 1879	2 December 1887	1879	Moderate Republican	[9]
					1885
President of the Chamber of Deputies (8 March 1876 – 31 January 1879)
The Government of Maurice Rouvier deputised during the interim (2 – 3 December 1887).
5		François Sadi Carnot GCLH (1837–1894)	3 December 1887	25 June 1894 [‡]	1887	Moderate Republican	[10]
Minister of Finance (16 April 1885 – 11 December 1886)
The Government of Charles Dupuy deputised during the interim (25 – 27 June 1894).
6		Jean Casimir-Perier GCLH (1847–1907)	27 June 1894	16 January 1895	1894	Moderate Republican	[11]
President of the Chamber of Deputies (2 June – 27 June 1894)
The Government of Charles Dupuy deputised during the interim (16 – 17 January 1895).
7		Félix Faure GCLH (1841–1899)	17 January 1895	16 February 1899 [†]	1895	Moderate Republican	[12]
Minister of the Navy (30 May 1894 – 17 January 1895)
The Government of Charles Dupuy deputised during the interim (16 – 18 January 1899).
		Émile Loubet GCLH (1838–1929)	18 February 1899	18 February 1906	1899	Moderate Republican (1899–1901)	[13]
8						Democratic Republican Alliance (1901–1906)
Presidents of the Senate of France (16 January 1896 – 18 February 1899)
9		Armand Fallières GCLH (1841–1931)	18 February 1906	18 February 1913	1906	Democratic Republican Alliance (1906–1911) then renamed Republican Democratic Party (1911–1913)	[14]
Presidents of the Senate of France (3 March 1899 – 18 February 1906)
10		Raymond Poincaré GCLH Académie (1860–1934)	18 February 1913	18 February 1920	1913	Republican Democratic Party (1913–1917) then renamed Democratic Republican Alliance (1917–1920)	[15]
President of the Council of Ministers (14 January 1912 – 21 January 1913)
11		Paul Deschanel GCLH Académie (1855–1922)	18 February 1920	21 September 1920	Jan. 1920	Democratic Republican Alliance	[16]
President of the Chamber of Deputies (23 May 1912 – 10 February 1920)
The Government of Alexandre Millerand deputised during the interim (21 – 23 September 1920).
12		Alexandre Millerand GCLH (1859–1943)	23 September 1920	11 June 1924	Sep. 1920	Independent	[17]
President of the Council of Ministers 20 January – 23 September 1920)
The Government of Frédéric François-Marsal deputised during the interim (11 – 13 June 1924).
13		Gaston Doumergue GCLH (1863–1937)	13 June 1924	13 June 1931	1924	Radical-Socialist Party	[18]
President of the Senate 22 February 1923 – 13 June 1924)
14		Paul Doumer GCLH (1857–1932)	13 June 1931	7 May 1932 [‡]	1931	Radical-Socialist Party	[19]
President of the Senate 14 January 1927 – 11 June 1931)
The Government of André Tardieu deputised during the interim (7 – 10 May 1932).
15		Albert Lebrun GCLH (1871–1950)	10 May 1932	11 July 1940	1932	Democratic Alliance	[20]
					1939
President of the Senate 11 June 1931 – 10 May 1932)
After the fall of Republic and the establishment of the collaborationist French State led by Marshal Philippe Pétain, the Presidency became vacant, from 11 July 1940 to 20 August 1944.
The Chairmen of the Provisional Government deputised during the interim (20 August 1944 – 16 January 1947).
16		Vincent Auriol GCLH MR (1884–1966)	16 January 1947	16 January 1954	1947	French Section of the Workers' International	[21]
President of the National Assembly 3 December 1946 – 20 January 1947)
17		René Coty GCLH (1882–1962)	16 January 1954	8 January 1959	1953	National Centre of Independents and Peasants	[22]
MP of the National Assembly for Seine-Inférieure 7 November 1948 – 23 December 1953)
18		Charles de Gaulle GCLH GCM CL Cg (1914) Cg (1939) CC MIV Mcg (1890–1970)	8 January 1959	28 April 1969	1958	Union for the New Republic (1959–1967)	[23]
					1965	Union of Democrats for the Republic (1967–1969)
President of the Council of Ministers 1 June 1958 – 8 January 1959)
The President of the Senate Alain Poher deputised during the interim (28 April 1969 – 20 June 1969).	[24]
19		Georges Pompidou GCLH GCM Cg (1939) (1911–1974)	20 June 1969	2 April 1974 [†]	1969	Union of Democrats for the Republic	[25]
Prime Minister of France 14 April 1962 – 10 July 1968)
The President of the Senate Alain Poher deputised during the interim (2 April 1974 – 27 May 1974).	[24]
20		Valéry Giscard d'Estaing GCLH GCM Cg (1939) Académie (born 1926)	27 May 1974	21 May 1981	1974	Independent Republicans (1974–1977) then renamed Republican Party (1977–1981)	[26]
Minister of Economy and Finances 20 June 1969 – 27 May 1974)
21		François Mitterrand GCLH GCM OF MR Cg (1939) (1916–1996)	21 May 1981	17 May 1995	1981	Socialist Party	[27]
					1988
MP of the National Assembly for Nièvre 6 December 1962 – 21 May 1981)
22		Jacques Chirac GCLH GCM OF CVM COMA COAL MA Algérie COEN (born 1932)	17 May 1995	16 May 2007	1995	Rally for the Republic (1995–2002)	[28]
					2002	Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2007)
Mayor of Paris 25 March 1977 – 16 May 1995)
23		Nicolas Sarkozy GCLH GCM (born 1955)	16 May 2007	15 May 2012	2007	Union for a Popular Movement	[29]
Minister of the Interior 2 June 2005 – 26 March 2007)
24		François Hollande GCLH GCM (born 1954)	15 May 2012	14 May 2017	2012	Socialist Party	[30]
President of Corrèze General Council 20 March 2008 – 11 May 2012)
25		Emmanuel Macron GCLH GCM (born 1977)	14 May 2017	Incumbent	2017	La République En Marche!	[30]
Minister of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs 26 August 2014 – 30 August 2016)

Graphical timeline

Living former Presidents

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (age 92)
(1974–1981) 

Jacques Chirac
(age 85)
(1995–2007) 

Nicolas Sarkozy
(age 63)
(2007–2012) 

François Hollande
(age 64)
(2012–2017) 

See also

• List of Foreign Ministers of France
• List of Prime Ministers of France
• President of France
• List of French Presidents by longevity
• List of Presidents of France by age

References