Georges Clemenceau

Georges Clemenceau was born Georges Benjamin Clemenceau on the September 28, 1841. As a French statesman he led France into WWI and was instrumental in winning the war against Germany. He helped write the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and was a firm defender of Germany paying reparation. He was also one of the distractors during the conference. He believed that Germany would one day have a stronger economy than France. Clemenceau distrusted President Woodrow Wilson and disliked French President Raymond Poincre. When issues became difficult, Clemenceau would storm out of the room and refuse to participate.

Clemenceau founded several literary magazines and wrote articles that attacked the imperial regime of Napoleon III. To avoid being sent to Devil's Island Penal System, Clemenceau left France for the United States. He work in New York after the Civil War and maintain a medical office. He spent most of his time writing political journalism for a Parisian newspaper.

He married Mary Eliza Plummer in 1848 and had three children together. Mary was one of Clemenceau's students at a private girls' school. They later divorced (1923).

Clemenceau returned to France in 1876 and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He joined the far left faction and his eloquence provided him the lead of the Radical section. He led the resistance to anti republic policies, but his unpopularity and protests to the Russian alliance caused his to be defeated in the 1893 election.

In 1906 the current French ministry fell and a new government was established. Clemenceau was appointed as Minister of Interior where he reformed the police force and ordered harsh policies toward the worker's movement. Between his cabinet dismissal in 1909 through 1912 Clemenceau travel to conferences took care of his prostrate problems.

Clemenceau resigned as Prime Minister shortly after the Presidential election in 1920. He spent his last months writing his memoirs and burning his private letters. Clemenceau died on November 24, 1929.