Gaston Defferre

Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician.

A long-standing member of the National Assembly (1945–1958, 1962–1986) and member of the Senate (1959–1962), he also served for many years as mayor of Marseille (1944–1945, 1953–1986).

He was a formidable political force in the South-East, where he owned the major centre-left newspaper Le Provençal (which he co-founded at the Liberation) and later acquired the right-wing daily Le Méridional.

Defferre served as Merchant Marine Minister (1950–1952), then Overseas Minister (1956–1957), and laid the groundwork for the end of French colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa through Loi-cadre Defferre.

In his region, he faced a strong French Communist Party (PCF) with which he was frequently in conflict.

As mayor, he relied on the support of the non-Gaullist center-right in the municipal assembly.

In the same way, he advocated a national alliance between the SFIO and the Christian democratic Popular Republican Movement (MRP).

He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956–1957.

His main achievement was to establish the framework used to grant independence to France’s African territories.

Before the 1965 presidential election, L'Express published an identikit of the best center-left candidate under the name of "Mister X".

It corresponded with Defferre's profile (L'Express co-founder Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber being a well known advocate of a Third Force alliance of socialists, Christian democrats and Radicals).

But, failing to create an SFIO-MRP-Radical Party federation, Defferre had to give way to François Mitterrand, whose preferred strategy for the Socialists was the formation of a left-wing coalition including the PCF.

His political career was strongly supported by members of the Corsican mafia, not least the Guérini clan.

In 1967, he fought the last duel in French history.

Defferre was a participant in the last duel in France that took place in 1967 when Defferre insulted René Ribière at the French parliament and was subsequently challenged to a duel fought with swords.

Defferre yelled ‘Taisez-vous, abruti!‘ (‘Shut up, stupid!’) at Ribière following an argument in the French National Assembly.

Ribière demanded an apology, Defferre refused, so Ribière demanded satisfaction by duel.

René Ribière lost the duel, having been wounded twice.

He escaped relatively uninjured, however.

But he was soundly defeated, suffering from the polarisation of French politics following the events of May 1968, scoring only 5% of the vote, the lowest ever score for a French Socialist candidate.

The failure of Defferre prompted the birth of the new Socialist Party (PS) and buried the idea of an alliance with the centre-right.

As the Socialist candidate for president in 1969, he received only 5 percent of the vote.

In 1969 Defferre was the Socialist candidate once again for the French presidency.

This time he had the support of ex-Premier Pierre Mendès-France, who would have been Premier again had Defferre been elected.

He was much more successful in promoting François Mitterrand as leader of the Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste; PS) in 1971.

Having been the main opponent of Guy Mollet in the party, and leader of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, Defferre helped Mitterrand take the leadership during the Epinay Congress (1971), in spite of his reservations concerning Mitterrand's strategy of an alliance with the Communists.

He held a series of ministerial portfolios after the Socialist victory in 1981, especially as minister of state for the interior and decentralization.

A lawyer and member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), Defferre was involved in the Brutus Network, a Resistance Socialist group, during World War II.

Later, when Mitterrand became President, Defferre served as Mitterrand's interior minister from 1981 to 1984.

He was the architect of the 1982 decentralization reforms.

He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986.

Town and Country Planning Minister until 1986, he died in office as Mayor of Marseille.

His widow, Edmonde Charles-Roux, was president of the literary circle the Académie Goncourt.

Governmental functions

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

Senate of France

Municipal Council