Henry Frédéric Chéron | |
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Chéron in 1921
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Minister of Labor and Social Security | |
In office 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913 |
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Preceded by | René Besnard |
Succeeded by | Albert Métin |
Minister of Agriculture | |
In office 15 January 1922 – 29 March 1924 |
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Preceded by | Edmond Lefebvre du Prey |
Succeeded by | Joseph Capus |
Minister of Commerce and Industry | |
In office 14 September 1928 – 11 November 1928 |
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Preceded by | Maurice Bokanowski |
Succeeded by | Georges Bonnefous |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 11 November 1928 – 21 February 1930 |
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Preceded by | Raymond Poincaré |
Succeeded by | Charles Dumont |
Minister of Justice | |
In office 17 November 1930 – 22 January 1931 |
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Preceded by | Raoul Péret |
Succeeded by | Léon Bérard |
Minister of Finance | |
In office 18 December 1932 – 31 January 1933 |
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Preceded by | Louis Germain-Martin |
Succeeded by | Georges Bonnet |
Minister of Justice | |
In office 9 February 1934 – 14 October 1934 |
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Preceded by | Eugène Penancier |
Succeeded by | Henry Lémery |
Personal details | |
Born |
Lisieux, Calvados, France |
11 May 1867
Died | 14 April 1936 Lisieux, Calvados, France |
(aged 68)
Nationality | French |
Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Henry Frédéric Chéron (11 May 1867 – 14 April 1936) was a French lawyer and politician who became active in local politics in the Calvados department of Normandy while still a young man, and always maintained his roots in Normandy. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and then to the Senate, and held various ministerial posts between 1913 and 1934. He generally held moderately conservative views, believed in fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets, and felt strongly that agriculture was the foundation of France's prosperity.
Henry Frédéric Chéron was born on 11 May 1867 at Lisieux, Calvados. His father, Isidore-Frédéric Chéron (born in 1843), was a sales representative. His mother was Felicie Duval (1844–1912). Henry Chéron worked as a technician in a pharmacy to earn money to attend law school. On 8 July 1889 he married Marie-Louise Fauguet, daughter of a large landowner of Calvados. They had two sons. Henry Chéron obtained a degree in Law in 1891.
Chéron was mayor of Lisieux, Calvados from 1894 to 1936, and General Councillor for the canton of Lisieux from 1901 to 1936. He was a moderate conservative. He was an affable and approachable leader. He was one of the first mayors in Normandy to apply the restrictions to drinking establishments authorized by the law of 1880. He opened a municipal abattoir in order to reduce the cost of meat to the people of Lisieux. Chéron was president of the general council of Calvados from 1911 to 1936. Chéron ran for election as deputy for Calvados on four occasions in 1893, 1896, 1898 and 1902, but although his views were moderate he was not sufficiently conservative for the electorate.
Chéron ran successfully for election as deputy for the 1st district of Caen on 6 May 1906. He was reelected as deputy on 24 April 1910. Chéron was appointed Under-Secretary of State for War on 25 October 1906 in the cabinet of Georges Clemenceau. He was popular for his attempts to improve the living conditions of the troops. In the first cabinet of Aristide Briand, formed on 24 July 1909, he was appointed Under-Secretary of State for the Navy. He undertook an administrative reorganization, and tried to mediate an end to a strike of enlisted seamen.
On 2 November 1910 the cabinet was dissolved and Chéron left the government. He joined the radical left, and presented five bills on social issues. He was chosen to report on many financial projects, and to present the general report on the budget in 1911, 1912 and 1913. On 23 January 1913 he presented and defended a vote of confidence in the Briand government. Chéron was an honorary president of the French consultative committee to the first International Eugenics Conference in London in 1912.