Sampaix, Lucien

Sampaix, Lucien 

Born May 13, 1899; died Dec. 15, 1941, in Cannes. Hero of the French resistance movement and figure in the French Communist Party (FCP).

A metalworker by profession, Sampaix was a member of the FCP from its founding in December 1920. From 1929 to 1932 he was engaged in party work in Reims. In 1932 he became a member of the editorial board of the newspaper L’Humanité. After being made general secretary of the editorial board, he gained notice for his outspoken opposition to the threat of fascist aggression. In July 1939, Sampaix was put on trial because of the campaign waged by L’Humanité against the Hitlerite fifth column in France. The trial provoked a strong public response, and he was acquitted.

After France’s entry into World War II and the banning of the FCP, Sampaix was arrested for his activities as a communist. In January 1941, after the defeat and occupation of France by the fascist Germans, he escaped from detention and joined the struggle against the occupation. Arrested again by the Vichy government, he was handed over to the fascist German occupiers and shot.