Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Date of Birth, Place of Birth
TweetValéry Giscard d'Estaing
French official and statesman
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
About Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
- Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (UK: , US: , French: [vale?i ?iska? dest?~] (listen); born 2 February 1926), also known as Giscard or VGE, is a former French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. As Minister of Finance under prime ministers Jacques Chaban-Delmas and Pierre Messmer, he won the presidential election of 1974 with 50.8% of the vote against François Mitterrand of the Socialist Party.
- His tenure was marked by a more liberal attitude on social issues—such as divorce, contraception and abortion—and attempts to modernise the country and the office of the presidency, notably launching such far-reaching infrastructure projects as the TGV and the turn towards reliance on nuclear power as France's main energy source.
- However, his popularity suffered from the economic downturn that followed the 1973 energy crisis, marking the end of the "thirty glorious years" after World War II.
- Giscard d'Estaing faced political opposition from both sides of the spectrum: from the newly unified left of François Mitterrand and a rising Jacques Chirac, who resurrected Gaullism on a right-wing opposition line.
- In 1981, despite a high approval rating, he missed out on reelection in a runoff against Mitterrand, with 48.2% of the vote. As a former President of France, he is a member of the Constitutional Council.
- He also served as President of the Regional Council of Auvergne from 1986 to 2004.
- Involved with the European Union, he notably presided over the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the ill-fated Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
- In 2003, he was elected to the Académie française, taking the seat that his friend and former President of Senegal Léopold Sédar Senghor had held.
- At age 93, Giscard is the longest-lived French President in history.
Read more at Wikipedia
See Also
- Famous People's Birthdays on 02 February, Germany
- Famous People's Birthdays in February, Germany
- Famous People's Birthdays on 02 February, France
- Famous People's Birthdays in February, France
- Famous politician's Birthdays on 02 February, Germany
- Famous politician's Birthdays in February, Germany
- Famous statesperson's Birthdays on 02 February, Germany
- Famous statesperson's Birthdays in February, Germany
- Famous official's Birthdays on 02 February, Germany
- Famous official's Birthdays in February, Germany
- Famous politician's Birthdays on 02 February, France
- Famous politician's Birthdays in February, France
- Famous statesperson's Birthdays on 02 February, France
- Famous statesperson's Birthdays in February, France
- Famous official's Birthdays on 02 February, France
- Famous official's Birthdays in February, France
Image Author, Source and License
Author: President (1977-1981 : Carter). White House Staff Photographers. (01/20/1977 - 01/20/1981)
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This media is available in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration, cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 177490.
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License: CC-PD-Mark
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