Born on November 29, 1932, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Son of François Chirac, company director, and Marie-Louise Valette. Married on March 16, 1956, to Bernadette Chodron de Courcel. Two children: Laurence and Claude.
Education
Lycées Carnot and Louis-le-Grand,Paris
Degrees
Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Science), Paris, and Harvard University Summer School (USA).
Distinctions
Grand-Croix de la Légion d’Honneur
Grand-Croix de l’Ordre National du Mérite
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
Médaille de l’Aéronautique
Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, des Arts et des Lettres, de l’Étoile Noire, du Mérite Sportif, du Mérite Touristique
Grand Cross of the Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malte.
Career
1957-1959
Ecole nationale d’Administration (ENA - National School of Administration)
1959
Auditor, State Audit Court (Cour des Comptes)
1962
Special assistant, Government Secretariat-General 1965-1993 Conseiller référendaire, State Audit Court
March 1965 - March 1977
Town councillor, Sainte-Féréole (Corrèze)
March - May 1967
Deputy for the Corrèze Department
1967-1968
State Secretary for Social Affairs, with responsibility for employment problems (in the government of G. Pompidou)
1968
Elected Departmental Councillor for the canton of Meymac (re-elected in 1970 and 1976)
1968-1971
State Secretary for the Economy and Finance (in the Pompidou, Couve de Murville and Chaban-Delmas governments)
June 1968 - August 1968
Deputy (Union pour la Défense de la République - UDR) for the Corrèze Department
Since l969
Treasurer of the Claude Pompidou Foundation (which in particular provides help for the elderly and for handicapped children)
1970 - March 1979
President of the Corrèze Departmental Council
1971-1972
Minister Delegate (Prime Minister’s Office) with responsibility for relations with Parliament (Chaban-Delmas government))
1972-1973
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Messmer government)
March 4, 1973-May 5, 1973
Deputy for the Corrèze Department (re-elected)
1973-1974
Ministre de l’Agriculture et du Développement rural (Gouvernement de Pierre Messmer)
1974
Minister of the Interior (Messmer government)
27 May, 1974
Appointed Prime Minister December
1974 - June 1975
Secretary-General, Union des Démocrates pour la République (UDR)
June 1975
Honorary Secretary-General, UDR
August 25, 1976
Tendered resignation of his government
1976
Re-elected Deputy for Corrèze Department (3rd constituency)
December 5, 1976
Elected President of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR - Rally for the Republic), successor party to the UDR
March 20, 1977
Elected Mayor of Paris
May l, 1979
Elected President of the Association internationale des maires et responsables des capitales et métropoles partiellement ou entièrement francophones (AIMF - International association of mayors and leaders of wholly or partially French-speaking capital cities and metropolitan areas)
June 10, 1979
Elected Member of the European Parliament (on the Defence of French Interests in Europe list); resigned seat in 1980
From 20 March 1986 to 10 May 1988
Prime minister ("Cohabitation" period)
May 7, 1995
Elected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 15,770,249 votes (52.64% of votes cast) versus 14,187,963 votes for Lionel Jospin
May 5, 2002
Reelected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 82,21% of votes cast versus 17,79% of votes cast for Jean-Marie Le Pen.
May 16, 2007
Transfer of power to Nicolas Sarkozy, elected as the 23rd President of France on May 6, 2007. Becomes a member-by-law of the Conseil Constitutionnel (Constitutional Court).
Publications
Thesis on the development of the Port of New Orleans (Institut d’Etudes Politiques, Paris), 1954.
"Discours pour la France à l’heure du choix," (Address to France at the moment of decision), Editions Stock (1978).
"La lueur d’espérance: Réflexion du soir pour le matin" (The glimmer of hope: reflections in the evening for the next morning), Editions La Table Ronde 1978.
"Une nouvelle France, Réflexions 1" (A new France, Reflections 1), Nil Editions 1994.
"La France pour tous" (France for all), Nil Editions 1995.
"Mon combat pour la France" (My fight for France), Editions Odile Jacob, 2007
"Mon combat pour la paix" (My fight for peace), Editions Odile Jacob, 2007