This experienced parliamentarian, in the long career of deputy, had held several ministerial functions under the governments of Mauroy and Fabius.
by Michel Noblecourt
He left the political scene as he lived, at low noise. Former secretary of state and former Minister of François Mitterrand, Jean Le Garrec died Sunday February 19 in Paris, at the age of 93. He had been very weak for several years.
Born August 9, 1929 at the Palais, in Belle-Ile-en-Mer (Morbihan), after studying at the Lycée de Cahors and the Faculty of Law of Toulouse, he entered, in 1952, as a civil servant, at the PTT . In 1955, he joined the private sector and was, until 1981, senior manager at IBM. Married to Evelyne David, a renowned feminist journalist (who died in 2018), he has a son, Ivan.
Jean Le Garrec has the heart on the left and he joined, in 1967, to the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), of which he was national secretary from 1972 to 1974, the year he followed Michel Rocard to the Socialist Party (PS). Close to Pierre Mauroy, of which he will be a faithful of the faithful, he presented himself, for the first time, in March 1978, in the legislative elections in the North but he was not elected until June 21, 1981, for a month, because of his Entering the government. Re-deputy in 1986, 1988, in 1997 and 2002, he will also be a municipal councilor of Cambrai (1983-1995) and regional councilor of Nord-Pas-de-Calais (1992-2004).
Empathy and benevolence
“It is extremely difficult”, was used to saying this drilling of pipe smoking, in the malicious look, laughing eyes, before each obstacle that he easily crossed, always showing pragmatism. Jean Le Garrec did not hide his strong socialist convictions – exhibited in several books including Tomorrow France (La Découverte, 1984) and a life on the left (Editions de l’Aube, 2006) – but he manifested with regard to the others empathy and benevolence. For Patrick Kanner, Socialist Senator of the North, “he was a seducer and a great worker, always attentive and attentive”.
On May 22, 1981, Jean Le Garrec was appointed Secretary of State, without assignment, to the Prime Minister, Pierre Mauroy. From June 23, 1981 to June 29, 1982, he was responsible, as secretary of state, for the extension of the public sector. As such, he will manage nationalizations and will endeavor to “democratize” social relations in the companies concerned. Minister Delegate in charge of Employment from June 29, 1982 to March 22, 1983, he became secretary of state, from March 24, 1983 to July 23, 1984, in charge of the IX e plan. He brought the first law of social economy, that of July 20, 1983 which created craft cooperative societies. In the government of Laurent Fabius, he piloted, in the same rank, the public service.
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