Jean Biondi
Encyclopedia
Jean Dominique Biondi was French
politician.
Jean Biondi was born on the island of Corsica
in the village of Sari-d'Orcino
. Educated in Ajaccio
, capital of Corsica, and in Paris
, he taught at the Lycée Condorcet
in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
Joining the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), the French socialist party, he was one of the editors of the Cri populaire de l'Oise, newspaper of the SFIO in the Oise
département. He was elected mayor of Creil
in 1935 and entered the Chamber of Deputies
in 1936 following a by-election in the Oise département. He was re-elected at the general election which followed later in the year, bringing Léon Blum
's Popular Front
government to power. In 1937 he was appointed to the editorial committee of the SFIO's official journal Le Populaire.
In July 1940, he was one of the 80 who voted against
the grant of special powers to Philippe Pétain
and the creation of the Vichy régime
. As a consequence Biondi was dismissed as mayor of Creil in 1941. The same year he joined the Comité d'action socialiste, the clandestine form of the then-banned SFIO. Arrested in 1942, he was soon released after which he joined the French Resistance
in the form of the Brutus Network
. Arrested a second time he was held at Fresnes prison
, tortured and deported to Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
and later moved to the Ebensee concentration camp
.
Following the end of the Second World War Biondi returned to France. He was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance
, the Croix de Guerre
and was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
. He was elected to the National Assembly, which replaced the pre-war Chamber and the immediately post-war Consultative Assembly, serving as under-secretary to the Minister of the Interior
in Léon Blum
's third ministry (1946–47) and later as secretary of state under several prime ministers (1947–50), usually with responsibility for the French Civil Service
.
In 1950 Biondi died in a car crash near Groslay
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
politician.
Jean Biondi was born on the island of Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
in the village of Sari-d'Orcino
Sari-d'Orcino
Sari-d'Orcino is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
. Educated in Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
, capital of Corsica, and in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, he taught at the Lycée Condorcet
Lycée Condorcet
The Lycée Condorcet is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's IXe arrondissement. Since its inception, various political eras have seen it given a number of different names, but its identity today honors the memory of the Marquis de Condorcet. The...
in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
Joining the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), the French socialist party, he was one of the editors of the Cri populaire de l'Oise, newspaper of the SFIO in the Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
département. He was elected mayor of Creil
Creil
Creil is a large town in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.-History:Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site, as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging to a Gaulish fortress or protected camp.The city itself...
in 1935 and entered the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
in 1936 following a by-election in the Oise département. He was re-elected at the general election which followed later in the year, bringing Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
's Popular Front
Popular Front (France)
The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party , the French Section of the Workers' International and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period...
government to power. In 1937 he was appointed to the editorial committee of the SFIO's official journal Le Populaire.
In July 1940, he was one of the 80 who voted against
The Vichy 80
The Vichy 80 were a group of elected French parliamentarians who, on 10 July 1940, voted against the constitutional change that dissolved the Third Republic and established an authoritarian regime known as Vichy France....
the grant of special powers to Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
and the creation of the Vichy régime
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
. As a consequence Biondi was dismissed as mayor of Creil in 1941. The same year he joined the Comité d'action socialiste, the clandestine form of the then-banned SFIO. Arrested in 1942, he was soon released after which he joined the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in the form of the Brutus Network
Brutus Network
The Brutus Network was a French Resistant movement during World War II. It was founded in 1941 by Pierre Fourcaud, parachuted in France with instructions from Charles de Gaulle to set up an intelligence network , and other socialist members of the French Section of the Workers' International ,...
. Arrested a second time he was held at Fresnes prison
Fresnes Prison
Fresnes Prison is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne South of Paris...
, tortured and deported to Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...
and later moved to the Ebensee concentration camp
Ebensee concentration camp
The Ebensee concentration camp was established by the SS to build tunnels for armaments storage near the town of Ebensee, Austria in 1943. It was part of the Mauthausen network....
.
Following the end of the Second World War Biondi returned to France. He was awarded the Médaille de la Résistance
Médaille de la Résistance
The French Médaille de la Résistance was awarded by General Charles de Gaulle "to recognise the remarkable acts of faith and of courage that, in France, in the empire and abroad, have contributed to the resistance of the French people against the enemy and against its accomplices since June 18,...
, the Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and was made a chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. He was elected to the National Assembly, which replaced the pre-war Chamber and the immediately post-war Consultative Assembly, serving as under-secretary to the Minister of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
in Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
's third ministry (1946–47) and later as secretary of state under several prime ministers (1947–50), usually with responsibility for the French Civil Service
French Civil Service
The French Civil Service is the set of civil servants working for the French government.Not all employees of the state and public institutions or corporations are civil servants; however, the media often incorrectly equate "government employee" or "employee of a public corporation" with...
.
In 1950 Biondi died in a car crash near Groslay
Groslay
Groslay is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 15 km north of Paris, the capital.-Boundaries:The commune is bounded with Montmorency, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, Sarcelles, Deuil-la-Barre and Montmagny....
.