List of presidents of the Senate of France
This article lists the presidents of the Senate of France and assimilated chambers.
The Senate is the upper house of the French Parliament. It is presided over by a president. Although there had been Senates in both the First and Second Empires, these had not technically been legislative bodies, but rather advisory bodies on the model of the Roman Senate. France's first experience with an upper house was under the Directory from 1795 to 1799, when the Council of Ancients was the upper chamber. With the [Bourbon Bourbon Restoration in France|Restoration in France|Restoration] in 1814, a new Chamber of Peers was created, on the model of the British House of Lords. At first it contained hereditary peers, but following the July Revolution of 1830, it became a body to which one was appointed for life. The Second Republic returned to a unicameral system after 1848, but soon after the establishment of the Second Empire in 1852, a Senate was established as the upper chamber. In the Fourth Republic, the Senate was renamed the Council of the Republic, but its function was largely the same. With the new constitution of the Fifth Republic in 1959, the older name of Senate was restored.
Acting President of the French Republic
The president of the Senate, in addition to his duties as presiding officer of the upper house of parliament, is also, according to the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, first in line of succession in case of death, resignation, or removal by impeachment of the president, thus becoming Acting President of the Republic until a new election can be held. This has already occurred twice. Alain Poher, the president of the French Senate, served as Acting President of France from 28 April until 20 June 1969 and again from 3 April until 27 May 1974.List of officeholders
Under the Directory">French Directory">Directory (1795–1799)
Presidents of the Council of Ancients:Under the Consulate">French Consulate">Consulate (1799–1804)
Presidents of the Sénat conservateur:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
| Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès | 27 December 1799 | 13 February 1800 | |
| François Barthélemy | 13 February 1800 | 27 February 1801 | |
| François Denis Tronchet | 27 February 1801 | 2 August 1801 | |
| François Christophe Kellermann | 2 August 1801 | 18 January 1802 | |
| Louis-Nicolas Lemercier | 18 January 1802 | 4 August 1802 |
Under the First Empire">First French Empire">First Empire (1804–1814)
Presidents of the Sénat conservateur:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
| François de Neufchâteau | 19 May 1804 | 19 May 1806 | |
| Gaspard Monge | 19 May 1806 | 1 July 1807 | |
| Bernard Germain de Lacépède | 1 July 1807 | 1 July 1808 | |
| Jean-Denis-René de Saint-Vallier | 1 July 1808 | 1 July 1809 | |
| Germain Garnier | 1 July 1809 | 1 July 1811 | |
| Bernard Germain de Lacépède | 1 July 1811 | 1 July 1813 | |
| François Barthélemy | 1 July 1813 | 1 July 1814 |
Under the Bourbon Restoration">Bourbon Restoration in France">Bourbon Restoration (1814–1830)
Presidents of the Chamber of Peers:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
| Charles-Henri, chevalier Dambray | 4 June 1814 | 20 March 1815 | |
| Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès | 2 June 1815 | 7 July 1815 | |
| Charles-Henri, chevalier Dambray | 12 October 1815 | 12 December 1829 | |
| Claude-Emmanuel, marquis de Pastoret | 17 December 1829 | 3 August 1830 |
Under the [July Monarchy] (1830–1848)
Presidents of the Chamber of Peers:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office |
| Étienne-Denis Pasquier | 3 August 1830 | 24 February 1848 |
Under the Second Empire">Second French Empire">Second Empire (1852–1870)
Presidents of the Senate:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party |
| Jérôme Bonaparte | 28 January 1852 | 30 November 1852 | Bonapartist | |
| Raymond-Theodore Troplong | 30 December 1852 | 1 March 1869 | Bonapartist | |
| Adrien Marie Devienne | 3 March 1869 | 20 July 1869 | Bonapartist | |
| Eugène Rouher | 20 July 1869 | 4 September 1870 | Bonapartist |
Under the Third Republic">French Third Republic">Third Republic (1870–1940)
Presidents of the Senate:| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Political party |
| Gaston Audiffret-Pasquier | 13 March 1876 | 15 January 1879 | Conservative | |
| Louis Martel | 15 January 1879 | 25 May 1880 | Conservative | |
| Léon Say | 25 May 1880 | 2 February 1882 | Republican | |
| Philippe Le Royer | 2 February 1882 | 24 February 1893 | Republican | |
| Jules Ferry | 24 February 1893 | 17 March 1893 | Left Republican | |
| Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour | 27 March 1893 | 16 January 1896 | Opportunist Republican | |
| Émile Loubet | 16 January 1896 | 18 February 1899 | Left Republican | |
| Armand Fallières | 3 March 1899 | 17 January 1906 | Democratic Republican Alliance | |
| Antonin Dubost | 16 February 1906 | 14 January 1920 | Democratic Republican Alliance | |
| Léon Bourgeois | 14 January 1920 | 22 February 1923 | Radical | |
| Gaston Doumergue | 22 February 1923 | 13 June 1924 | Radical | |
| Justin de Selves | 19 June 1924 | 9 January 1927 | Radical | |
| Paul Doumer | 14 January 1927 | 13 May 1931 | Radical | |
| Albert Lebrun | 11 June 1931 | 10 May 1932 | Democratic Alliance | |
| Jules Jeanneney | 3 June 1932 | 9 July 1940 | Radical |
Under the Fourth Republic">French Fourth Republic">Fourth Republic (1946–1958)
Presidents of the Council of the Republic:Political party
Under the Fifth Republic">French Fifth Republic">Fifth Republic (1958–present)
Presidents of the Senate:Political party