Robert Lecourt was a French politician and lawyer, judge and the fourth President of the European Court of Justice

European Court of Justice

The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...

.

Lecourt was born in Pavilly

Pavilly

Pavilly is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A town of farming and light industry situated by the banks of the Austreberthe River in the Pays de Caux, some northwest of Rouen at the junction of the D4, D142, D22 and the D67...

, Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime

Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...

. He began his career as an Avocat at the Cour d’appel de Paris (Court of Appeal, Paris), during the war

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he was a member of the Underground Management Committee of the movement ‘Résistance’ and member of the National Liberation Movement

National Liberation Movement

A national liberation movement is an organization engaged in a war of national liberation.National Liberation Movement may also refer to:* Movement of National Liberation, a leftist party founded by former Mexican President Lázaro Cárdenas...

. After the war, he became a member of the Provisional Consultative Assembly; deputy for Paris (1945-58); deputy for Hautes-Alpes

Hautes-Alpes

Hautes-Alpes is a department in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range.- History :Hautes-Alpes is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...

 (November 1958); Minister for Justice (on several occasions between 1948 and 1958); Minister responsible for aid and cooperation between France and the Member States of the Community, subsequently for the overseas départements and territories and Sahara

Sahara

The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...

 (January 1959-August 1961); Member of the Executive Committee of the European Movement

European Movement

The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it.-History:...

. In 1962 he became a judge at the European Court of Justice, and in 1967 its President. Lecourt retired in 1976; and died in 2004 in Boulogne-Billancourt

Boulogne-Billancourt

Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....

, France

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...

.

Sources

• Former Members, European Court of Justice official website.