Michel Debré

Michel Debré (1912 to 1996) was a French jurist and statesman, the first Prime Minister of the French Fifth Republic and regarded as the father of the current Constitution of France. He obtained a doctorate in law at the University of Paris, taught law there, and in 1934 became a member of the Conseil d'État. During the Second World War he escaped German captivity and joined the Resistance, and in 1945 he created the École nationale d'administration while reforming the civil service. He was a senator for Indre-et-Loire from 1948 to 1958. As Garde des Sceaux and Minister of Justice in General de Gaulle's cabinet from June 1958 he played an important role in drafting the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, and he then served as Prime Minister from January 1959 to 1962. He later held the posts of Economy and Finance Minister and Foreign Minister.