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Demise of former French Prime Minister

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November 12, 2000 

PARIS (AP) - Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a former French prime minister remembered for his willingness to embrace social change despite the disapproval of fellow conservatives, has died at age 85, his family said Saturday.

Chaban-Delmas, a hero of the French Resistance during World War II who went on to serve as Bordeaux mayor for 48 years and hold numerous top government posts, died Friday of a heart attack in his Paris home, his family said in a statement.

The conservative statesman held several Cabinet posts, was a longtime president of the National Assembly and was also a candidate in the 1974 presidential election won by rival Valery Giscard d'Estaing.

Prime minister from 1969 to 1972, Chaban-Delmas is remembered for trying unsuccessfully to introduce the idea of a "new society" to France, which remained widely conservative despite a widespread 1968 student uprising that shook the country's foundations. He left the post under attack from conservatives.

Politicians left and right honored the conservative statesman remembered for his openness to social reforms inspired by left-leaning thinkers.

In a statement, French President Jacques Chirac said Chaban-Delmas knew how to "understand the evolutions and new expectations of his time."

"France has lost a great Gaullist, a great Resistance fighter, a great server of the nation," Chirac said.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said Chaban-Delmas "showed the determination of a man of conviction and the energy of a great athlete."

Chaban-Delmas was known for his talent at rugby and tennis, as well as for his unceasing smile and his memory for names and faces. He was married three times and had four children.

A leading figure in the French Resistance under Gen. Charles de Gaulle, Chaban-Delmas at age 29 became the youngest French army officer to attain the rank of brigadier general since the Revolution.

At the age of 32, he was elected mayor of Bordeaux, a job he would hold for most of his political life. During his long career, Chaban-Delmas also was a minister of defense, of public works, and of housing, among other posts. He retired from politics in 1997.

Details of funeral arrangements were not immediately released.