Paul Deschanel, président de la Chambre de 1912 à 1919

Of Deschanel, history might have retained the tragi-comic end to his functions as the President of the Republic. Yet his election against Clemenceau only crowned a long parliamentary career during which he twice gained the presidency of the Chamber, preparation for the supreme magistracy. This experience allowed him to reflect on the qualities and role of a President of the Chamber, before putting it into practice during the Great War.