List of presidents of the Senate of France explained

Post:	President
Body:	the French Senate
Insignia:	French Senate Logo.svg
Insigniacaption:	Logo of the French Senate
Incumbent:	Gérard Larcher
Incumbentsince:	1 October 2014
Department:	Senate of France
Type:	Presiding officer
Member Of:	French Parliament
Residence:	Petit Luxembourg
Termlength:	3 years,
Termlength Qualified:	renewable
Formation:	28 October 1795
First:	Claude-Antoine Rudel
Succession:	1st

This article lists the presidents of the Senate of France (French: Président du Sénat français; official translation: Speaker of the Senate)^[1] and assimilated chambers.

The Senate is the upper house of the French Parliament. It is presided over by a president. Although there had been Senates in both the First and Second Empires, these had not technically been legislative bodies, but rather advisory bodies on the model of the Roman Senate. France's first experience with an upper house was under the Directory from 1795 to 1799, when the Council of Ancients was the upper chamber. With the Restoration in 1814, a new Chamber of Peers was created, on the model of the British House of Lords. At first it contained hereditary peers, but following the July Revolution of 1830, it became a body to which one was appointed for life. The Second Republic returned to a unicameral system after 1848, but soon after the establishment of the Second Empire in 1852, a Senate was established as the upper chamber. In the Fourth Republic, the Senate was renamed the Council of the Republic, but its function was largely the same. With the new constitution of the Fifth Republic in 1959, the older name of Senate was restored.

Acting President of the French Republic

The president of the Senate, in addition to his duties as presiding officer of the upper house of parliament, is also, according to the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, first in line of succession in case of death, resignation, or removal by impeachment of the president, thus becoming Acting President of the Republic until a new election can be held.^[2] This has already occurred twice. Alain Poher, the president of the French Senate, served as Acting President of France from 28 April until 20 June 1969 (between the resignation of President Charles de Gaulle and the installation of his elected successor President Georges Pompidou) and again from 3 April until 27 May 1974 (between the death of President Georges Pompidou and the installation of his elected successor President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing).

List of officeholders

Under the Directory (1795–1799)

Presidents of the Council of Ancients:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office
		28 October 1795	28 October 1795
		28 October 1795	2 November 1795
		2 November 1795	23 November 1795
		23 November 1795	22 December 1795
		22 December 1795	22 January 1796
		22 January 1796	20 February 1796
		20 February 1796	21 March 1796
		21 March 1796	20 April 1796
		20 April 1796	20 May 1796
		20 May 1796	19 June 1796
		19 June 1796	19 July 1796
		19 July 1796	18 August 1796
		18 August 1796	23 September 1796
		23 September 1796	22 October 1796
		22 October 1796	21 November 1796
		21 November 1796	21 December 1796
		21 December 1796	20 January 1797
		20 January 1797	19 February 1797
		19 February 1797	21 March 1797
		21 March 1797	20 April 1797
		20 April 1797	20 May 1797
		20 May 1797	19 June 1797
		19 June 1797	19 July 1797
		19 July 1797	18 August 1797
		18 August 1797	4 September 1797
		6 September 1797	23 September 1797
		23 September 1797	22 October 1797
		22 October 1797	21 November 1797
		21 November 1797	21 December 1797
		21 December 1797	20 January 1798
		20 January 1798	19 February 1798
		19 February 1798	21 March 1798
		21 March 1798	20 April 1798
		20 April 1798	20 May 1798
		20 May 1798	19 June 1798
		19 June 1798	19 July 1798
		19 July 1798	18 August 1798
		18 August 1798	23 September 1798
		23 September 1798	22 October 1798
		22 October 1798	21 November 1798
		21 November 1798	21 December 1798
		21 December 1798	20 January 1799
		20 January 1799	19 February 1799
		19 February 1799	21 March 1799
		21 March 1799	20 April 1799
		20 April 1799	20 May 1799
		20 May 1799	19 June 1799
		19 June 1799	19 July 1799
		19 July 1799	18 August 1799
		18 August 1799	24 September 1799
		24 September 1799	23 October 1799
		23 October 1799	10 November 1799

Under the Consulate (1799–1804)

Presidents of the Sénat conservateur:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office
		27 December 1799	13 February 1800
		13 February 1800	27 February 1801
		27 February 1801	2 August 1801
		2 August 1801	18 January 1802
		18 January 1802	4 August 1802

Under the First Empire (1804–1814)

Presidents of the Sénat conservateur:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office
		19 May 1804	19 May 1806
		19 May 1806	1 July 1807
		1 July 1807	1 July 1808
		1 July 1808	1 July 1809
		1 July 1809	1 July 1811
		1 July 1811	1 July 1813
		1 July 1813	1 July 1814

Under the Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830)

Presidents of the Chamber of Peers:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office
		4 June 1814	20 March 1815
		2 June 1815	7 July 1815
		12 October 1815	12 December 1829
		17 December 1829	3 August 1830

Under the July Monarchy (1830–1848)

Presidents of the Chamber of Peers:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office
		3 August 1830	24 February 1848

Under the Second Empire (1852–1870)

Presidents of the Senate:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office	width=160	Political party
		28 January 1852	30 November 1852	Bonapartist
		30 December 1852	1 March 1869	Bonapartist
		3 March 1869	20 July 1869	Bonapartist
		20 July 1869	4 September 1870	Bonapartist

Under the Third Republic (1870–1940)

Presidents of the Senate:

Portrait	width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office	width=160	Political party
		13 March 1876	15 January 1879	Conservative
		15 January 1879	25 May 1880	Conservative
		25 May 1880	2 February 1882	Republican
		2 February 1882	24 February 1893	Republican
		24 February 1893	17 March 1893	Left Republican
		27 March 1893	16 January 1896	Opportunist Republican
		16 January 1896	18 February 1899	Left Republican
		3 March 1899	17 January 1906	Democratic Republican Alliance
		16 February 1906	14 January 1920	Democratic Republican Alliance
		14 January 1920	22 February 1923	Radical
		22 February 1923	13 June 1924	Radical
		19 June 1924	9 January 1927	Radical
		14 January 1927	13 May 1931	Radical
		11 June 1931	10 May 1932	Democratic Alliance
		3 June 1932	9 July 1940	Radical

Under the Fourth Republic (1946–1958)

Presidents of the Council of the Republic:

Political party

Portrait		width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office	width=160	Political party
			27 December 1946	6 March 1947	MRP
			18 March 1947	2 October 1958	Radical

Under the Fifth Republic (1958–present)

Presidents of the Senate:

Political party

Portrait		width=200	Name	width=130	Took office	width=130	Left office	width=160	Political party
			9 December 1958	2 October 1968	Radical
			3 October 1968	1 October 1992
			2 October 1992	1 October 1998
			2 October 1998	30 September 2008
			1 October 2008	30 September 2011	UMP
			1 October 2011	30 September 2014	PS
			1 October 2014	Incumbent

See also

• Senate (France)
• Council of Ancients (France)
• Council of the Republic (France)
• Chamber of Peers (France)

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Speaker of the Senate . senat.fr . Senate (France) . 15 July 2022.
2. The exact title is "President of the Senate, exercising provisionally the functions of the President of the Republic"; see how Alain Poher is referred to on signing statutes into law, e.g. law 69-412