Alain Émile Louis Marie Poher (; 17 April 1909 – 9 December 1996) was a French politician who served as President of the Senate from 1968 to 1992. In this capacity, he was twice briefly acting President of France, in 1969 and 1974 following the resignation of Charles de Gaulle and the death of Georges Pompidou, respectively. Poher was affiliated with the Popular Republican Movement (MRP) until 1966 and later with the Democratic Centre (CD) and Centre of Social Democrats (CSD), which he joined in 1976.
A native of Ablon-sur-Seine south of Paris, Poher was a longtime member of the Senate (1946–1948; 1952–1995), where he sat first for Seine-et-Oise until 1968 and then Val-de-Marne. He also served as President of the European Parliament from 1966 to 1969. As the longest-serving President of the Senate and the sole unelected President of France under the Fifth Republic, Poher remained an influential figure in 20th-century French politics. He ran in the 1969 presidential election but was defeated by Pompidou in the second round.
Poher died at the age of 87 in 1996, a year after his retirement from the Senate.
Early career
Poher was born in Ablon-sur-Seine, current-day Val-de-Marne, to a family from Brittany.
He graduated from the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the Lycée Saint-Louis in Paris and later studied law. On 19 August 1938 he married Henriette Tugler (1907–2004) in La Baule-Escoublac, with whom he had two daughters, Marie-Agnès (born 1940) and Marie-Thérèse (1944–2002). Poher was reelected to the Senate in 1952,
President of the Senate
thumb|left|Poher (right) speaking with [[Gaston Monnerville, his predecessor as Senate President, in April 1969.]]
During his tenure, Poher served with the Gaullist government of Prime Minister Maurice Couve de Murville, Previously he was one of Charles de Gaulle's most notable political opponents and played a key role in the successful "no" campaign in the final referendum of his presidency.
He served again as ad interim head of state in 1974 after Pompidou died in office. This time, however, he did not run for his own term and stepped down after Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected against François Mitterrand.
Political career
- Interim President of the French Republic: 28 April – 20 June 1969, 2 April – 27 May 1974
Government functions
- Secretary of State for the Budget: 5 September – 20 November 1948
- Secretary of State for the Navy: 11 November 1957 – 14 May 1958
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
- President of the European Parliament: 1966–1969
Senate
- Senator for Seine-et-Oise, Val-de-Marne: 1946–1948, 1952–1995
- President of the Senate of France: 1968–1992
Local
- Mayor of Ablon-sur-Seine: 1945–1983
References
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