René Viviani

Viviani, René 

Born Nov. 8, 1863, in Sidi bel Abbes; died Sept. 7, 1925, in Le Plessis-Robinson. French politician and statesman, lawyer.

In 1893, Viviani was elected to Parliament, where he joined the group of “independent socialists.” Being an opponent of the censure of Millerandism, Viviani did not join the Unified Socialist Party in 1905; together with A. Millerand, he formed a group of “independent socialists,” which became the Republican Socialist Party in 1911. Viviani was minister of labor in the governments of G. Clemenceau, 1906-09, and of A. Briand, 1909-10, minister of education from 1913 to June 1914, and prime minister from June 1914 until October 1915. In July 1914 he made an official visit to St. Petersburg with R. Poincarè, president of France. He was minister of justice in Briand’s government from October 1915 until early 1917. He attended the Washington Conference of 1921-22.