Painlève, Paul (1863–1933)

French statesman. A Socialist deputy in 1906, as chairman of the Navy Committee he initiated the policy of concentrating the French fleet in the Mediterranean, and thereby promoted the development of the Entente Cordiale. Minister of public instruction in 1915, and war minister in 1916, he was responsible for appointing the French general Philippe Pétain, with Ferdinand Foch as chief-of-staff, to succeed Robert Nivelle during World War I. He was prime minister for a few months in 1917, and was defeated as a candidate for the presidency in 1924, becoming prime minister again in 1925, and also finance minister. He held a number of other ministerial posts between 1926 and 1932.

Painlève was born in Paris, France. He was successively professor at Lille University and the Sorbonne, and in 1904 professor of mechanics and engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique. He wrote a book on aeronautics, which is recognized as a classic, and founded the French Air League. He wrote many philosophical and scientific works, including a book on the analytical theory of differential equations.