Gaston Domergue Paintings

Gaston Doumergue was not an artist in the traditional sense of the word, such as a painter or sculptor, but rather a politician who became the 13th President of France. Born Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue on August 1, 1869, in Aigues-Vives, Gard, he came from a Protestant family. Initially, he trained as a lawyer before moving into the realm of politics.

He embarked on his political career as a Radical, and he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1893. Throughout his political life, Doumergue held various governmental positions, including Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and eventually Prime Minister in 1913. His term as Prime Minister was brief, but he continued to serve in other ministerial roles.

Doumergue is most notable for his time as President of France, a position he held from 1924 to 1931. His presidency was marked by attempts to stabilize the French economy and navigate the complex political landscape of the Third Republic, which was characterized by frequent changes of government and parliamentary instability. During his presidency, he also dealt with events like the Rif War in Morocco.

After his term as president, Doumergue retired from active politics. However, he was called upon once more in 1934 to form a government during a political crisis known as the Stavisky Affair, which prompted widespread riots and a brief moment of national unity. His government passed various reforms but was short-lived, lasting only a few months.

Doumergue never married and remained a bachelor until the age of 66, when he married Jeanne-Marie Gaussal in 1934. He died on June 18, 1963, in Aigues-Vives. While he was an important political figure in early 20th-century France, he is not remembered for contributions to the arts, and therefore, his biography in the context of an art historian might be somewhat misplaced. Nonetheless, his influence on French politics during a turbulent era was significant.