Jean-Paul Huchon (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ pɔl yʃɔ̃]; born 29 July 1946) is a French retired civil servant and politician of the Socialist Party (PS) who served as Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine from 1994 to 2001 and President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France from 1998 until 2015.

Jean-Paul Huchon
Huchon in 2008
President of the Regional Council
of Île-de-France
In office
15 March 1998 – 17 December 2015
Preceded byMichel Giraud
Succeeded byValérie Pécresse
Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
In office
19 July 1994 – 18 March 2001
Preceded byMichel Rocard
Succeeded byPhilippe Esnol
Personal details
Born (1946-07-29) 29 July 1946 (age 78)
1st arrondissement of Paris, France
Political partySocialist Party
Alma materSciences Po
École nationale d'administration
OccupationCivil servant

Early life and education

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Huchon graduated from Sciences Po in 1967 and from the École nationale d'administration in 1971. Jean-Claude Trichet was a classmate.[1]

Early career

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  • 1971 to 1975: civil administrator at the Budget Directorate of the Ministry of Finance
  • 1975 to 1978: civil administrator at the International Relations Directorate of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
  • 1978 to 1981: head of the Agriculture and European Office at the Budget Directorate of the Ministry of Finance
  • 1981 to 1985: Chief of Staff to Michel Rocard (Planning Commission, then Agriculture Ministry)
  • 1985 to 1986: general manager of Crédit Agricole
  • 1988 to 1991: Chief of Staff to Michel Rocard (Prime Minister of France)
  • 1991 to 1998: general manager for François Pinault
  • 2006 to 2015: president of the Metropolis organisation[2]

Political career

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Career in local politics

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  • Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine: 1994–2001. Elected in 1994, after the resignation of Michel Rocard. Reelected in 1995.
  • Deputy Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine: 1977–1994. Reelected in 1983, 1989.
  • Municipal councillor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine: 1977–2014. Reelected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008

President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France, 1998–2015

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In 2004, Huchon served as the vice president of the bidding committee for the 2012 Summer Olympics.[3]

In 2007, Huchon was found guilty of illegal taking of interest together with his wife Dominique Le Texier in a case of public contracts awarded in 2002 and 2003. On appeal in 2008 he was found guilty again and sentenced to a suspended prison sentence of 6 months and a €60,000 fine.[4]

Huchon was a keynote speaker at the 2008 Metropolis congress[5] in Sydney, October 2008. He addressed world mayors and industry leaders on issues of eco-regions and governance in the 21st century.

In the Socialist Party's 2011 primaries, Huchon endorsed Martine Aubry as the party's candidate for the 2012 presidential election.[6]

On 11 February 2014, Huchon was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama in honor of President François Hollande at the White House.[7]

Huchon eventually did not run for reelection in 2015.

Life after politics

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Huchon has been an adjunct professor at HEC Paris.[8]

Ahead of the 2017 presidential election, Huchon endorsed Emmanuel Macron. In 2018, he was named honorary president of the regional council.[9]

Awards

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Books

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  • 1972: Le Marché Commun
  • 1993: Jours tranquilles à Matignon
  • 2002: La Montagne aux singes
  • 2005: Ceux qui aiment ne peuvent pas perdre

References

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  1. ^ Jack Ewing and Steven Erlanger (20 May 20 2010), [1] New York Times.
  2. ^ "Le Maire de Montréal, nouveau Président de Metropolis – International Brussels SPRB". Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  3. ^ Duff Wilson (17 November 2004), New York Unveils Sweeping Olympic Bid New York Times.
  4. ^ "French politician convicted for corruption". 20 February 2007.
  5. ^ 2008 Metropolis Congress
  6. ^ Estelle Gross (6 July 2011), Primaire : qui soutient qui au PS ? L'Obs.
  7. ^ Expected Attendees at Tonight’s State Dinner Office of the First Lady of the United States, press release of 11 February 2014.
  8. ^ Jean-Paul Huchon, HEC Paris.
  9. ^ "Jean-Paul Huchon de retour à la présidence du conseil régional d’Île-de-France !", Le Parisien (in French), 29 May 2018.
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
1994–2001
Succeeded by
Philippe Esnol
Preceded by President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France
1998–2015
Succeeded by