Albert Thomas (minister)
| Albert Thomas | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
16 June 1878 Champigny-sur-Marne, France |
| Died | 7 May 1932 (aged 53) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Politician/Diplomat |
| Known for | First Director General of the International Labour Office. |
Albert Thomas (16 June 1878 – 7 May 1932) was a prominent French Socialist and the first Minister of Armament for the French Third Republic during World War I. Following the Treaty of Versailles, he was nominated as the first Director General of the International Labour Office, a position he held until his death in 1932.
He was born at Champigny-sur-Marne on 16 June 1878. In 1898, he entered the École Normale Supérieure, where he studied history and won a travelling scholarship which enabled him to visit Russia. Other educational distinctions followed, including degrees in literature and history at the University of Paris. In 1904, Thomas was both appointed to the editorial staff of L'humanité and elected a municipal councillor for Champigny, where, eight years later he was elected mayor. As a journalist, Thomas wrote for L'information and the Revue socialiste founded the Revue syndicaliste and subsequently launched L'Information ouvrière et sociale.
In 1910, Thomas was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies for one of the constituencies of the Department of the Seine, and he was re-elected in 1914. He became a member of the public works, railways, and finance committees of the Chamber and was active in shaping legislative measures, notably those relating to conditions in mines, industrial and agricultural workers pensions, and pensions for miners.
When the First World War broke out, Thomas served in a territorial regiment of the French Army for a few weeks after which he was summoned to Paris and placed in control of the railway services, acting as a link between the General Staff and the Ministry of Public Works. In October 1914, the Government gave him the task of organising factories with a view to the intensive production of munitions. In May 1915, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for Artillery and Munitions, becoming Minister of Munitions the following year. Thomas first became a member of the cabinet on 12 December 1915 when he was made the Sub-Minister of Artillery and Munitions under the Minister of War. Due in large part to the need for more shells for the widely used "Soixante-Quinze" cannon, he was promoted again on 12 Dec 1916 to become Minister of Armaments. He answered only to the Prime Minister and subsequently President of the Republic, Raymond Poincaré. Thomas was removed from the Ministry on 12 September 1917 by Louis Loucheur.
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