1920 ELECTION OF PRESIDENT DESCHANEL FRENCH POLITICAL MEDAL

Description: Obverse : bust & legend "PAUL DESCHANEL PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE", signed by DrivierReverse : "élu par l'assemblée nationale le XVII janvier MCMXX"Diameter : 72 mm or 28 inchesWeight : 175 gramsMetal : bronze Paul Eugène Louis Deschanel (13 February 1855 – 28 April 1922) was a French politician. He served as President of France from 18 February to 21 September 1920. Paul Deschanel, the son of Émile Deschanel (1819–1904), professor at the Collège de France and senator, was born in Brussels, where his father was living in exile (1851–1859), owing to his opposition to Napoleon III. He is one of only two French Presidents (the other is Valéry Giscard d'Estaing) who were born outside France (Deschanel in Belgium, Giscard in Koblenz, Germany). Deschanel aspired to a much more active role as president than had been de rigueur under the Third Republic; and was a very promising leader for the first six months but, for reasons of his own mental health, was unable to put his ideas to the test.As president, his eccentric behaviour caused some consternation; on one occasion, after a delegation of schoolgirls had presented him with a bouquet, he tossed the flowers back at them. On another occasion a few days later, he gave an interview to the British ambassador wearing nothing but his decorations. It all culminated when, late one night, 24 May 1920, he fell out of a large window of the presidential train near Montargis after taking some sleeping pills and was found wandering in his nightshirt by a platelayer, who took him to the nearest level-crossing keeper's cottage. His resignation was offered on 21 September 1920, and he was placed in a sanatorium at Rueil-Malmaison for three months. After his release he was elected to the senate in January 1921, serving until his death from pneumonia. Until the death penalty was abolished in 1981, he was the only French head of state during whose term in office no persons in France were executed. Deschanel himself was a longtime death penalty opponent.

Price: 39 USD

Location: Tourcoing

End Time: 2024-11-03T19:17:31.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9 USD