Born on November 29, 1932, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Son of François Chirac, company director, and Marie-Louise Valette.

Married on March 16, 1956, to Bernadette Chodron de Courcel.

Two children: Laurence and Claude

EDUCATION

Lycées Carnot and Louis-le-Grand,Paris

DEGREES Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Institute of Political Science), Paris, and Harvard University Summer School (USA).

DISTINCTIONS

Grand-Croix de la Légion d'Honneur
Grand-Croix de l'Ordre National du Mérite
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
Médaille de l'Aéronautique
Chevalier du Mérite Agricole, des Arts et des Lettres, de l'Étoile Noire, du Mérite Sportif, du Mérite Touristique
Grand Cross of the Merit of the Sovereign Order of Malte.

CAREER

1957-1959 Ecole nationale d'Administration (ENA - National School of Administration)
1959 Auditor, State Audit Court (Cour des Comptes)
1962 Special assistant, Government Secretariat-General
1965-1993 Conseiller référendaire, State Audit Court
March 1965 - March 1977 Town councillor, Sainte-Féréole (Corrèze)
March - May 1967 Deputy for the Corrèze Department
1967-1968 State Secretary for Social Affairs, with responsibility for employment problems (in the government of G. Pompidou)
1968 Elected Departmental Councillor for the canton of Meymac (re-elected in 1970 and 1976)
1968-1971 State Secretary for the Economy and Finance (in the Pompidou, Couve de Murville and Chaban-Delmas governments)
June 1968 - August1968 Deputy (Union pour la Défense de la République - UDR) for the Corrèze Department
Since l969 Treasurer of the Claude Pompidou Foundation (which in particular provides help for the elderly and for handicapped children)
1970 - March 1979 President of the Corrèze Departmental Council
1971-1972 Minister Delegate (Prime Minister's Office) with responsibility for relations with Parliament (Chaban-Delmas government)
1972-1973 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Messmer government)
March 4, 1973-May 5, 1973 Deputy for the Corrèze Department (re-elected)
1973-1974 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Messmer government)
1974 Minister of the Interior (Messmer government)
27 May, 1974 Appointed Prime Minister
December 1974 - June 1975 Secretary-General, Union des Démocrates pour la République (UDR)
June 1975 Honorary Secretary-General, UDR
August 25, 1976 Tendered resignation of his government
1976 Re-elected Deputy for Corrèze Department (3rd constituency)
December 5, 1976 Elected President of the Rassemblement pour la République (RPR - Rally for the Republic), successor party to the UDR
March 20, 1977 Elected Mayor of Paris
May l, 1979 Elected President of the Association internationale des maires et responsables des capitales et métropoles partiellement ou entièrement francophones (AIMF - International association of mayors and leaders of wholly or partially French-speaking capital cities and metropolitan areas)
June 10, 1979 Elected Member of the European Parliament (on the Defence of French Interests in Europe list); resigned seat in 1980
From 20 March 1986 to 10 May 1988 Prime minister ("Cohabitation" period)
May 7, 1995 Elected President of the French Republic (in 2nd round of polling) with 15,770,249 votes (52.64% of votes cast) versus 14,187,963 votes for Lionel Jospin

OEUVRES

Thesis on the development of the Port of New Orleans (Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris), 1954
"Discours pour la France à l'heure du choix," (Address to France at the moment of decision), Editions Stock (1978)
"La lueur d'espérance: Réflexion du soir pour le matin" (The glimmer of hope: reflections in the evening for the next morning), Editions La Table Ronde 1978
"Une nouvelle France, Réflexions 1" (A new France, Reflections 1), Nil Editions 1994
"La France pour tous" (France for all), Nil Editions1995