Official portrait: Paul Doumer
Paul Doumer
© Bibliothèque nationale de France. Diffuseur La Documentation française

2 March 1857
Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer was born in Aurillac. Courier at age 12, then engraver by trade, he earned his Baccalaureat in evening courses at the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers.

1877
He earned a degree in Mathematics.

1879
He earned a degree in Law.

1877-1879
He worked as a middle school teacher.

1878
He married Blanche Richel and they had eight children together.

1880
He was the editor-in-chief of the Courrier de l’Aisne.

1883
He served as Municipal Councillor for Saint-Quentin (Department of Aisne).

1887
He was the Head of the Private Office of Charles Floquet, President of the Chamber of Deputies.

8 April 1888
He was elected the Radical Deputy for Laon.

8 November 1891
He was elected Deputy for Auxerre (re-elected in 1893).

1 November 1895-23 April 1896
He served as Minister of Finance in the Léon Bourgeois Government (Faure Presidency).

28 December 1896-1902
He was appointed Governor-General of Indochina.

27 April 1902
He was elected the Deputy for Laon.
He became President of the Finance Committee in the Chamber of Deputies.
He was President of the Chamber of Deputies (lost in the next ballot).

1906
He was a presidential candidate against Armand Fallières

7 January 1912
He was elected Senator of Corsica (re-elected in 1925 and 1930).

1914
He was appointed Director of the Civilian Office of General Gallieni, Military Governor of Paris.

September 1914
His son, André, died in combat.

April 1917
His son, René, was killed in air combat.

13 Septembre-13 November 1913
He served as a Minister in the Government of Paul Painlevé. He was a member of the War Committee (Poincaré Presidency).

8 June 1918
His son, Marcel, was killed in air combat.

August 1920
His son, Armand, dies from being gassed.

16 January 1921-12 January 1922
He served as Minister of Finance for Government of Aristide Briand (Millerand Presidency).

July 1925
He was President of the Finance Committee of the Senate

16 December 1925-6 January 1926
He served as Minister of Finance for Government of Aristide Briand (Presidency of Doumergue)

14 January 1927
He became President of the Senate (re-elected until 1931).

13 June 1931
He was elected President of the Republic.

6 May 1932
He was killed in Paris by Paul Gorgulov, a Russian immigrant with mental health issues.

12 May 1932
After the funeral at Notre Dame and the Pantheon, he was laid to rest in the family vault at the Vaugirard Cemetery.

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Updated : 15 December 2022