Jacques Chirac was a French statesman who served as President of the French Republic for two consecutive terms between 17 May 1995 and 16 May 2007. With a total of nearly twelve years in office, he became the second longest-serving French president after François Mitterrand. On 12 March 2007, he announced that he would not seek another term and later transferred presidential power to Nicolas Sarkozy.

Jacques René Chirac was born on 29 November 1932 in Paris, France, to Abel François Chirac and Marie-Louise Valette. He received his early education at Lycée Carnot and Lycée Louis-le-Grand. In 1956, he married Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, with whom he had two daughters, Laurence Chirac and Claude Chirac.

After studying at Sciences Po in 1959, Chirac continued his education at the École Nationale d'Administration. Upon entering public service, he began building his political career during the presidency of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, serving as a parliamentary deputy and later as a key political figure within the French executive and legislative branches.

In 1977, following a highly competitive election against Michel d’Ornano, Chirac was elected Mayor of Paris. This role significantly strengthened his political authority on the national stage. His tenure was marked by extensive social initiatives aimed at elderly citizens, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. However, this period was also overshadowed by corruption investigations, which were temporarily suspended once Chirac became President of France and gained presidential immunity. He held the position of Mayor of Paris from 1977 until 1995.

After leaving the presidency, investigations related to his time as Mayor of Paris were reopened. Chirac consistently denied the allegations but ultimately became the first former French president to be convicted, found guilty of authorizing salary payments to 28 fictitious advisors at Paris City Hall during his mayoral tenure.

In the first round of the 1995 presidential election, Chirac secured 20.8% of the vote. In the second round, he defeated Socialist leader Lionel Jospin with 52.6% of the vote, officially succeeding François Mitterrand as President of France.

During his presidency, Chirac pursued policies that accelerated privatization and introduced significant reforms in taxation and price controls. His security and defense strategies—implemented under the banner of combating crime and terrorism—provoked strong criticism from opposition groups. Despite these controversies, he was re-elected in April 2002 for a second presidential term.

On 16 May 2007, at the conclusion of his second term, Jacques Chirac formally stepped down from office and handed over the presidency to Nicolas Sarkozy. His nearly twelve-year presidency secured his place as one of the most enduring leaders in modern French political history.

While visiting Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, Chirac stated that Turkey would need to recognize the so-called Armenian Genocide claims in order to advance its bid for European Union membership. In addition, related to his time as Mayor of Paris between 1990 and 1995, he received a two-year suspended prison sentence, reinforcing his historical status as the first French president convicted after leaving office.

In August 2016, following his return from a holiday in Morocco, former President Jacques Chirac and his wife Bernadette Chirac were hospitalized due to severe fatigue. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, received hospital treatment, and was discharged on 13 October 2016.

Jacques Chirac died on 26 September 2019 in Paris, France, at the age of 87.

Honors and Decorations

Grand Cross of the Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur

Grand Cross of the Ordre National du Mérite

Croix de la Valeur Militaire

Médaille de l'Aéronautique

Knight of the Mérite agricole

Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters

Knight of the Ordre de l'Étoile Noire (French Colonial Order – Benin)

Knight of the Mérite Sportif

Grand Cross of the Order pro merito Militensis

Officer of the Ordre national du Québec

Condor de Oro

Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav

State Prize of the Russian Federation

Source: Biyografiler.com