Official portrait: Émile Loubet
Émile Loubet
© La Documentation française. Photo Présidence de la République

31 December 1838
Émile, François Loubet was born in Marsanne (Drôme Department) to a family of farmers. He studied law and earned his doctorate in Paris and became a member of the Montélimar Bar in April 1865.

18 August 1869
He married Marie-Louise Picard.

18 June 1870
He was elected Marsanne Departmental Councillor.

October 1871-1883
He served as Grignan Departmental Councillor.

1870-1899
He served as Mayor of Montélimar, an office that he held up until he was elected President.

1876-1886
He served as Republican Deputy for Montélimar.

August 1880
He was President of the Council of the Department of Drôme.

25 January 1885
He was elected Senator.

1886-1898
He served as Montélimar Departmental Councillor.

12 December 1887-2 April 1888
He was the Minister of Public Works.

27 February-5 December 1892
At the request of President Sadi Carnot, he became Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and formed a Government made up mainly of Republicans. But the Panama Scandal caused the downfall of his Government.

6 December 1892-10 January 1893
He served as Minister of the Interior.

16 January 1896
He was President of the Senate.

16 February 1899
Félix Faure died.

18 February 1899
Émile Loubet was elected President of the Republic in the first round by Radicals and advocates of the review of the Dreyfus Affair. He was said to be in favour of reviewing the case. His seven-year term was filled with intense international activity.

23 February 1899
At the funeral of Félix Faure, Paul Déroulède and his League of Patriots made an unsuccessful attempt to have the military funeral escort march on the Élysée. The attempted coup failed. Amid violent nationalist unrest, Émile Loubet was attacked at the Auteuil racetrack. The turbulent political atmosphere led the President to appoint Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau as Prime Minister so that he would form on 22 June 1899 a “Republican Defence” Government.

19 September 1899
Émile Loubet granted a pardon to Captain Dreyfus, who had been sentenced again by the military court at his trial in Rennes.

October 1899
The King of Greece visited France.

14 April 1900
The Exposition Universelle was held in Paris.

August 1900
The Shah of Persia visited France.

22 September 1900
In the Élysée Palace gardens, Émile Loubet held a banquet for Mayors of France to celebrate the century of the First Republic.

October 1900
Belgium’s King Léopold II visited France.

18 September 1901
Czar Nicolas II visited Compiègne with the Czarina.

14-27 May 1902
The President visited Russia.

7 June 1902
Émile Combes became Prime Minister. Although President Loubet disapproved of the militant anti-anticlericalism of the Government, he did not intervene in domestic policy.

August, 1902
The Shah of Persia visited France.

15-30 April 1903
The President visited Algeria and Tunisia.

1-4 May 1903
King Edward VII of England visited Paris.

6-9 July 1903
President Loubet visited London.

14-19 October 1903
Victor-Emmanuel III and the Queen of Italy visited Paris.

23-28 April 1904
President Loubet visited Rome.

July 1904
The Bey of Tunisia visited France.

October 1904
President Loubet visited Madrid and Lisbon. 

December 1904
The King and Queen of Portugal visited France.

31 May-4 June 1905
King Alphonse XIII of Spain was the victim of an assassination attempt during his visit to Paris.
Reigning Prince Ferdinand de Saxe-Cobourg of Bulgaria visited France.

18 February 1906
Émile Loubet became the first President of the Third Republic to end a full term-of-office. He did not wish to run for another term and retired from political life.

20 December 1929
Émile Loubet died in Montélimar.

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Updated : 15 December 2022