Paul-Boncour, Joseph (1873–1972)

French politician. In 1906 he was elected to the Chamber as an Independent Socialist. In 1911 he joined the Socialist party and became Labour minister in the Monis-Bertaux Cabinet. Paul-Boncour left the Socialists in 1931. He was prime minister for the short period December 1932–January 1933, when his government fell over a minor financial question. Under the leadership of Léon Blum he was in 1933, and again in 1938, minister for foreign affairs, when his policy was to secure collective security in Europe. He headed the French delegation to the United Nations Assembly in January 1946. Paul-Boncour was born in St Aignan-sur-Cher, France.