Biography of Ramadier, Paul - Archontology
Ramadier, Paul

Paul Ramadier

b. 17 Mar 1888, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime
d. 14 Oct 1961, Rodez, Aveyron

Title: Président du Conseil des ministres (President of the Council of Ministers)
Term: 22 Jan 1947 - 24 Nov 1947
Chronology: 21 Jan 1947, endorsed by the vote of investiture, session of the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), Palais-Bourbon, Paris [1]
22 Jan 1947, appointed on the list of members of the Council of Ministers, decree of the President of the Republic [2]
24 Nov 1947, ceased to exercise the functions of office upon the appointment of a successor [3]
Biography:
Son of a psychiatre; educated at a Rodez lyceum; studied law at the Faculty of Law and Philosophy at Toulouse; received doctorate in law from the University of Paris (1911); advocate at the Paris Court of Appeals (from 1908); elected mayor of Decazeville (1919-1941, 1945-1959); councilor general of the canton of Decazeville (1928-1961); affiliated himself with the Socialist Party (Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière, SFIO), but later entered the Socialist and Republican Union (Union socialiste et républicaine); elected to the Chambre des députés (Chamber of Deputies), representing Aveyron (1928-1940); served as under-secretary of state for mining (1936-1937) and under-secretary of state for public works (1937–1938); held the portfolio of labor minister (18 Jan 1938 - 13 Mar 1938, 10 Apr 1938 - 23 Aug 1938) in the cabinets of Camille Chautemps and Edouard Daladier; joined the Résistance during World War II; served as minister of supplies (14 Nov 1944 - 30 May 1945) in the cabinet of Charles de Gaulle and as minister of justice (16 Dec 1946 - 22 Jan 1947) in the cabinet of Léon Blum; elected to the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly, 1945-1951, 1956-1958); following the promulgation of constitution of the Fourth Republic, he was appointed President of the Council of Ministers (22 Jan 1947 - 24 Nov 1947); formed a coalition government composed of gaullists, socialists and communists which was approved by the Assembly on 28 Jan 1947; reorganized his government on 22 Oct 1947 (gaullists, socialists, radicals); failed to achieve progress in combating post-war issues, including food shortages and labor protests; served as minister of state (26 Jul 1948 - 5 Sep 1948), minister of national defense (11 Sep 1948 - 28 Oct 1949); president of the International Labor Bureau (1952-1955); minister of economic affairs and finance (14 Feb 1956 - 13 Jun 1957) in the cabinet of Guy Mollet.
Biographical sources: "Paul Ramadier, 1888-1961: élu local et homme d'état", by Aline Fonvieille-Vojtovic (Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne, 1993).
Elections:

Vote of investiture (21 Jan 1947)
votes cast 549
constitutional majority 310
in favour 549
against 0
Source of electoral results: Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 3. Mercredi 22 Janvier 1947. P. 37-38; initial results (P. 33) showed 587 votes cast, 310 as constitutional majority, 577 in favour, and 10 against, but it was corrected to show the cited figures.

[1] Journal officiel de la République française. Débats parlementaires. Compte rendu in extenso des séances de l'Assemblée nationale et du Conseil de la République. N° 3. Mercredi 22 Janvier 1947. P. 26-33, 37-38.
[2] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 20. Jeudi 23 Janvier 1947. P. 939.
[3] Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et Décrets. N° 276. Lundi 24 Novembre 1947. P. 11630.