Jean Lecanuet

Known for

Acting

Born

March 4, 1920

Birthplace

Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France

Died

February 22, 1993 (aged 72)

Biography

Jean Adrien François Lecanuet (4 March 1920 – 22 February 1993) was a French centrist politician.

Lecanuet was born to a family of modest means in Rouen and gravitated towards philosophy studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé ("A+" professor) in France. He participated in the Second World War French Resistance movement. In August 1944, he was arrested along with a commando that had just blown up the Lille-Brussels railroad, but he managed to escape with the help of a Pole who had been drafted into the German army. He then married Denise Paillard with whom he had three children.

After the Liberation, he became a general inspector at the Ministry of D...