Henri Hoppenot

Henri Hoppenot (October 25, 1891 – August 10, 1977) was a French diplomat, was commissioner-general in Indochina between 1955 and 1956, and was the last person to hold this post. He also served as the French president of the United Nations Security Council between 1952 and 1955.

In August 1914, he started in the Press Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He became friends with Alexis Leger (later Saint-John Perse); they will maintain a friendship of more than sixty years. When they enter the ministry, there are already diplomats writers: Jean Giraudoux, Paul Morand and Paul Claudel. He was librettist for Darius Milhaud.^[1] In 1917, he was attaché at the Embassy of France in Berne. He married Helena Delacour. In 1938, he was Deputy Director of the Europe division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1940, he was Minister Plenipotentiary at Montevideo. He rallied to Free France; he heads the civil services of the military mission in Washington, D.C..^[2][3] In 1943, he was Delegate of the Provisional Government of the Republic to the United States. From 1945 to 1952, he was Ambassador of France in Bern, after eight months of a vacancy. He aims to restore confidence between the two countries, aided by the Consul General of France in Geneva, Xavier de Gaulle, who served from 1944 to 1953. In 1951, he was Honorary Member of the Museum of Fine Arts Bern. From 1952 to 1955, he was Permanent Representative of France to the UN Security Council.^[4] From 1955 to 1956, he was Commissioner-General of France in Indochina. From 1956 to 1964, he was Member of the French Council of State.

Together with his wife Hélène, who was an accomplished photographer, Henri Hoppenot produced the book Extrême-Orient (Ides et Calendes, 1951) with photos taken in the Far East.

References