Lecanuet, Jean-Adrien-Francois

▪ 1994

      French politician (b. March 4, 1920, Rouen, France—d. Feb. 22, 1993, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France), challenged Pres. Charles de Gaulle in France's first direct presidential election in 1965 and forced an unexpected runoff between the formerly invincible de Gaulle and the Socialist candidate, François Mitterrand. Although Lecanuet, representing the centrist Popular Republican Movement (MRP), came in third, his high-profile campaign drew considerable attention, and he was credited with triggering the runoff by drawing votes from traditional de Gaulle supporters. Lecanuet received a doctorate in philosophy in 1942, and during World War II he fought with the Resistance. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1951 and spent most of the remainder of his life as an elected official there (1951-55) or in the Senate (1959-73, 1977-93). A lifelong devotee of European unity and trans-Atlantic cooperation, he served as president of the MRP (1963-65), the Democratic Centre Party (1966-76), the Centre for Social Democrats (1976-82), and the centre-right Union for French Democracy (UDF; 1978-88). Lecanuet held several Cabinet posts in the 1970s, including minister of justice (1974-76). He also served in the European Parliament (1979-88) and was the mayor of Rouen from 1968.

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