Jacques Chaban-Delmas; Was French Premier, WWII Hero

Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a former French prime minister remembered for his willingness to embrace social change despite the disapproval of fellow conservatives, has died.

A hero of the French Resistance during World War II who went on to serve as Bordeaux mayor for 48 years and to hold numerous top government posts, Chaban-Delmas died Friday of a heart attack at his home in Paris, his family said in a statement Saturday. He was 85.

Leaders across the political spectrum honored the statesman. Many, including French President Jacques Chirac, an old political foe, stopped by Chaban-Delmas’ residence in Paris on Saturday to give their condolences to his family.

“France has lost a great Gaullist, a great Resistance fighter, a great server of the nation,” Chirac said in a statement.

Chirac added that Chaban-Delmas knew how to “understand the evolutions and new expectations of his time.”

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

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.

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 conservative despite the 1968 student uprising that shook the country’s foundations. He left the post under attack from colleagues in his own conservative party.

Chaban-Delmas 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. He retired from politics in 1997.

Born in Paris on March 7, 1915, Jacques Delmas earned a law degree, then worked as a journalist until World War II before becoming an industry ministry official in 1941.

Chaban was his Resistance code name and he added it to his name after the war.

Debonair and handsome, Chaban-Delmas played rugby and tennis in his youth. His retirement was marked by ill health, and he was rarely seen in public in the last few years.

Chaban-Delmas was married three times and had four children.