1919 in France

Incumbents

• President: Raymond Poincaré
• President of the Council of Ministers: Georges Clemenceau

Events

• 18 January – The Paris Peace Conference, opens at the Quai d'Orsay, with delegates from 27 nations attending for meetings at the Palace of Versailles (anniversary of the 1871 proclamation of William I as German Emperor at Versailles); for its duration Paris is effectively the center of a world government. On 25 January the Conference agrees to establish the League of Nations.
• March – An automobile brand, Citroën, was established by André Citroën.
• April – Long-Berenger Oil Agreement is concluded between France and the United Kingdom over oil rights.
• 1 May (Premier Mai) – A large left-wing demonstration leads to a violent confrontation with the police.
• 28 June – Treaty of Versailles is signed, officially ending World War I and concluding the main sessions of the Paris Peace Conference.
• 7 July – First customer takes delivery of a Citroën automobile.
• 31 July – Perfumier L'Oréal is registered by Eugène Schueller.
• 10 September – Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is signed, ending World War I with Austria.
• 16 November – Legislative Election held.
• 17 November – American expatriate Sylvia Beach opens the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris.
• 27 November – Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine is signed.
• 30 November – Legislative Election held.

Sport

• 29 June – Tour de France begins.
• 27 July – Tour de France ends, won by Fermin Lambot of Belgium.

Births

January to June

• 6 January – Jacques Laurent, writer and journalist (died 2000)
• 15 January – Maurice Herzog, climber and politician (died 2012)
• 19 January – Simone Melchior, wife and business partner of Jacques-Yves Cousteau (died 1990)
• 18 March
  • Michèle Arnaud, singer, producer and director (died 1998)
  • Roland Weyl, militant and lawyer (died 2021)
• 22 March – Diran Manoukian, Olympic field hockey player (died 2020)
• 1 April – Jeannie Rousseau, Allied intelligence agent (died 2017)
• 3 April – Marguerite Harl, literary scholar (died 2020)
• 7 April – Jackie Sardou, actress (died 1998)
• 8 April – André Héléna, writer (died 1972)
• 10 April – Cécile Rol-Tanguy, resistance officer (died 2020)
• 13 April – René Gallice, soccer player (died 1999)
• 21 April – André Bettencourt, Resistance fighter, politician and Minister (died 2007)
• 29 April – Gérard Oury, actor, writer and producer (died 2006)
• 30 April – François Brigneau, journalist and author (died 2012)
• 13 May – Pierre Sudreau, politician (died 2012)
• 24 May – Paul Rambié, painter (died 2020)
• 7 June – Roger Borniche, detective (died 2020)
• 9 June - Georges Bonnet, writer and poet (died 2021)
• 21 June
  • Tsilla Chelton, actress (died 2012)
  • Jean Joyet, painter (died 1994)
• 21 June – Guy Lux, game show host and producer (died 2003)
• 23 June – Marie Jacq, politician (died 2014)

July to September

• 2 July – Albert Batteux, international soccer player and manager (died 2003)
• 2 July – Henri Genès, actor and singer (died 2005)
• 17 July – Jean Leymarie, art historian (died 2006)
• 18 July – Daniel du Janerand, painter (died 1990)
• 19 July – Solange Troisier, physician (died 2008)
• 31 July – Maurice Boitel, painter (died 2007)
• 4 August – Michel Déon, writer (died 2016)
• 10 August – Sacha Vierny, cinematographer (died 2001)
• 11 August – Ginette Neveu, violinist (died 1949)
• 9 September – Jacques Marin, actor (died 2001)
• 12 September – Jean Prouff, soccer player and manager (died 2008)

October to December

• 3 October – Jean Lefebvre, actor (died 2004)
• 7 October – Georges Duby, historian (died 1996)
• 8 October – André Valmy, actor (died 2015)
• 20 October – André Pousse, actor (died 2005)
• 26 October – Marcel Le Roy, resistance fighter (died 2020)
• 5 November – Félix Gaillard, Radical politician and Prime Minister of France (died 1970)
• 10 November – François Périer, actor (died 2002)
• 16 November – Georges-Hilaire Dupont, Roman Catholic bishop (died 2020)
• 18 November – Andrée Borrel, World War II heroine (executed) (died 1944)
• 20 November – Maurice Paul Delorme, prelate (died 2012)
• 21 November – Jacques Senard, diplomat (died 2020)
• 11 December – Lucien Teisseire, road bicycle racer (died 2007)
• 13 December – Huguette Béolet, tennis player
• 24 December – Pierre Soulages, painter and sculptor (died 2022)
• 25 December – Noëlla Rouget, resistance fighter and teacher (died 2020)
• 30 December – François Bordes, scientist, geologist, and archaeologist (died 1981)

Full date unknown

• Pierre Garat, civil servant in Vichy France (died 1976)
• Laure Leprieur, radio personality (died 1999)

Deaths

• 2 September – Jean-Pierre Brisset, writer (born 1837)
• 30 October – Jules Develle, politician (born 1845)
• 7 November – Jean Marie Antoine de Lanessan, statesman and naturalist (born 1843)
• 3 December – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painter (born 1841)
• 21 December – Louis Diémer, pianist and composer (born 1843)

References

References

1. (1919-01-18). "Peace Conference Opens: Memorable Ceremony at the Quai d'Orsay". [[The Globe (London newspaper).
2. MacMillan, Margaret. (2002). "Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World". Random House.