March 22, 2014 <Back to Index>
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Joseph Athanase Paul Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer (22 March 1857 – 7 May 1932) was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination. He was born in Aurillac, in the Cantal département, in France on 22 March 1857. He was Governor - General of French Indochina from 1897 to 1902. After returning from French Indochina, Doumer served as President of the Chamber of Deputies (a post equivalent to the speaker of parliament) from 1902 to 1905. The Long Bien Bridge was built during his term as Governor - General and was named for him. It became a well known landmark and target for US pilots during the Vietnam War. He became Minister of Finance of France in 1925 when Louis Loucheur resigned. He was elected President of the French Republic on 13 May 1931, defeating the better known Aristide Briand, and replacing Gaston Doumergue. On 6 May 1932, he was shot in Paris at the opening of a book fair by Paul Gorguloff, a mentally unstable Russian émigré. He died at 04:37 a.m. on 7 May. |