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Biography of Edith CressonName: Edith CressonBirth Date: January 27, 1934 Death Date: N/A Place of Birth: Boulogne-Billancourt, France Nationality: French Gender: Female Occupations: prime minister, stateswoman Edith Cresson The first woman prime minister of France and the fifth prime minister appointed by President François Mitterrand, Edith Cresson (born 1934) was named to the office May 15, 1991.Edith Cresson was born January 27, 1934, in a fashionable Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt. Her father was a senior civil servant. Raised by a British nanny, she became fluent in the English language. Cresson attended the School of Advanced Commercial Studies, earning a degree in business and later a doctorate in demography.A successful businesswoman, she added a second career in politics when she met François Mitterrand in 1965. For the next 26 years the future president helped Cresson advance through the ranks of what is now the French Socialist Party, calling her "my little soldier."After Mitterrand became president in 1981, Cresson served first as minister of agriculture (1981-1983), then as minister of external trade and tourism (1983-1984), as minister of industrial restructuring and external trade (1984-1986), …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…months of becoming president, the Cresson government had fallen precipitously in popularity. Subtle and not-so-subtle attacks on her gender continued, including a popular daytime television show featuring two puppet characters, one a sexy and servile female broadly seen as a Cresson parody. In April 1992, Cresson resigned. Since then she has served as Commissioner for Science, Research and Development to the European Commission.Cresson's husband, Jacques, a retired executive of Peugeot, the French automobile and appliance company, remained supportive of his wife, and their relationship has been likened to that of Margaret Thatcher and her husband. Cresson has been compared to the British prime minister for her bluntness, energy, and stubbornness. They have two daughters. Further Reading The appointment and career of Cresson was covered in the Washington Post (May 16 and May 18, 1991). See also "An Iron Lady Across the Channel?" Business Week (May 27, 1991) and "The Battle for Europe," Business Week (June 3, 1991). |