Coming from the upper middle class, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing studied to be a finance inspector. He began his political career in 1956 by being elected deputy. In 1958, he approached General de Gaulle and joined the government in 1959 as Secretary of State. He was appointed minister for the first time in 1962. He supported the candidacy of Georges Pompidou for the presidential elections of 1969. Just after the death of Pompidou, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing was elected President of the Republic against François Mitterrand on May 19 1974.
During his mandate, with a view to modernizing the country, he passed several liberal reforms, such as lowering the majority to 18.
Candidate for a second term, he lost to Mitterrand. He did not retire from political life:he continued to sit as a deputy and was President of the Regional Council of Auvergne.
In 2003, he was elected to the French Academy.
He is a member of the Constitutional Council, as former President of the Republic from 2004 until his death on December 2, 2020.
1926 - 2020
Status
Politician