Oscar de Saint-Just
Oscar Saint-Just | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of France | |
|
Assumed office 24 April 2019 | |
| Monarch | Jean IV |
| Vice PM | Lucien d'Argenlieu |
| Preceded by | Jean-Luc Andreoni |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine-et-Marne's 1st constituency | |
|
In office 10 February 2014 – 24 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Emmanuel Lagarde |
| Succeeded by | Christophe de Banneville |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 8, 1974 Vaux-le-Pénil, Île-de-France, Kingdom of France |
| Political party |
 French Action |
| Education |
École nationale d'administration Paris-Sorbonne University |
| Profession | Politician |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 France |
| Branch/service | French Royal Army |
| Years of service | 1994–2006 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
 25th Airborne Division |
Xavier Marie Oscar Fréteau de Saint-Just (born 8 August 1974), commonly known as Oscar Saint-Just, is a French nobleman and politician who has been the Prime Minister of France since 24 April 2019.
A former officer of the French Army and a graduate of the École nationale d'administration, Saint-Just entered politics in 2011 as a member of the monarchist and conservative French Action party. From 2011 to 2014 he restructured the party, which made a major resurgence in the 2014 French legislative election, upsetting the previously largest right wing political group, the Christian Democratic Party. He was member of the Chamber of Deputies of France from 2014 to 2019 for the 1st constituency of the Seine-et-Marne department. After the 2019 French legislative election Saint-Just was nominated by King Jean IV as Prime Minister.
Early life and career
Oscar Saint-Just was born to a French aristocratic family on 8 August 1974 at Vaux-le-Pénil, located just outside of Paris, where one of his ancestors, Heracle Freteau de Saint-Just, built a castle in 1728 that still is owned by the family today. One of his other ancestors, Emmanuel Michel Philippe de Saint-Just, was twice the president of the National Assembly of France in 1789 during the French Revolution. He was a renown jurist and had joined the liberal nobles that supported the Revolution and reforming away from the absolutism of the Ancien Regime, but he came under suspicion as the revolutionaries became more radical and was executed by guillotine in 1794 during the Reign of Terror. Oscar's father, Pierre Jacques Christophe de Saint-Just (born 1941), volunteered for the French Army during the Great War II and eventually rose to the rank of colonel before retiring from the military in 1991.
Oscar Saint-Just attended the Lycée Léonard de Vinci, a high school in Melun, until July 1992 when he graduated. In February 1994 Saint-Just began his mandatory national service in the French Royal Army. He liked the service so much that in early 1995 Saint-Just formally enlisted as a professional soldier, serving in the 25th Airborne Division. He was made a sous-lieutenant after passing reserve officer courses on 26 October 1995, and was promoted a lieutenant on 3 January 1997. From late 1996 to late 1997 he saw service in Chad, during several operations by France helping the Chadian government deal with rebel groups in the north of the country that threatened to overthrow the central government. During the combat actions in Chad, his superiors described him as "an excellent officer" and he became knowledgeable on the local political situation. Returning to France from 1997 until 2000, he served in various roles in the 25th Division. On 7 August 2000 he was promoted to capitaine. From November 2000 until September 2002 he was appointed as an assistant military attaché at the French Embassy in N'Djamena, Chad. After returning to France, Saint-Just served in the Plans Directorate of the Army Staff until his retirement from the military in October 2006. During this time he helped organize some of France's overseas military deployments.
During part of his time in the military Saint-Just attended and graduated the Paris-Sorbonne University in 2005 with a Master of Laws (LLM) degree. From 2007 to 2009 he attended the École nationale d'administration, and elite school that prepares French civil servants.
