13 septembre 1880
21 août 1951
Ingénieur de formation, Raoul Dautry (1880-1951) choisit, après sa sortie de l'École Polytechnique, d'intégrer la Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord (1902). Au sein de la compagnie, il est d'abord nommé chef du district de la gare de Saint-Denis. Dans ce premier poste, Dautry est confronté à la misère de la banlieue parisienne et au problème du logement des cheminots. Il est affecté ensuite au service des études et du matériel fixe (1917) et devient en 1918, ingénieur principal de la voie à la Compagnie du Nord. Pendant la Première guerre mondiale, il met au point en 1914 un système de circulation des trains permettant aux renforts de se rendre sur le front de l'Est (bataille de la Marne). Le changement progressif de la guerre de mouvement en une guerre de tranchées donne la priorité à une gestion industrielle de l'économie de guerre. Dautry développe la mobilité et l'autonomie technique des équipes de cheminots affectées à la reconstruction des voies endommagées : les monteurs assignés à la remise en état des voies, sont cantonnés à partir de 1916 dans des trains de rééquipement, qui sillonnent en tous sens la partie du réseau non occupée. Chargé au printemps 1918 par le maréchal Foch de construire une ligne de 100 km entre Feuquières (Oise) et Ponthoile (Somme) pour éviter les tirs d'artillerie allemande, il termine les travaux en 114 jours, ce qui vaut à cette ligne le nom de « ligne des 100 jours » et à son auteur, la remise de la Légion d'honneur, le 14 juillet 1918, par le président du Conseil, Georges Clemenceau.
En 1919, ingénieur en chef adjoint de l'entretien, chargé du service de la voie, il entre au conseil d'administration de la Société d'équipement des voies ferrées. En 1921 il devient ingénieur en chef de l'entretien du réseau du Nord. Durant cette période il est l'initiateur de nombreuses cités ouvrières pour les cheminots. En effet, l'application au réseau du Nord de la loi du 23 avril 1919 sur la journée de 8 heures de travail nécessite le recrutement et la formation de nouveaux cheminots, et le bon fonctionnement des 3 x 8 requiert l'édification de cités cheminotes à proximité même des nouveaux équipements reconstruits. En trois ans, Dautry édifie plus de 12 000 maisons, logeant environ 60 000 personnes au sein de cités-jardins.
En 1923 Dautry est nommé administrateur de la Société d'études générales, urbaines et sociales et de la Régie immobilière de la ville de Paris. En 1925, Herriot le nomme au Conseil national économique nouvellement créé. Sa première mission porte sur le problème du logement en France. En 1926 Dautry remet un rapport sur le logement qui sera à l'origine de la loi Loucheur (1928). Remarqué par le ministre des Travaux publics André Tardieu, il se voit proposer en 1928 la direction de l'Aviation. Déclinant cette offre, il accepte en contrepartie la direction du Réseau ferroviaire de l'État (embryon de la SNCF, résultant du rachat par l'État de quelques dizaines de compagnies privées). Il applique des règles d'« économie économe » impliquant la supression totale des lignes à faible distance et à trafic réduit et la coordination des transports entre le rail et la route. Les lignes ferroviaires sont modernisées (suppression du charbon pour le diesel ou l'électrification). Pour encourager le trafic commercial, Dautry crée de toutes pièces des gares de marchandises décentralisées. Pour le trafic passager, il introduit des tarifs plus avantageux en fin de semaine.
En 1931, il est chargé (en parallèle avec ses activités ferroviaires) par le gouvernement de présider et de réorganiser la Compagnie générale transatlantique et la Compagnie aéropostale. En 1934 il est nommé conseiller technique du gouvernement dans le cabinet Gaston Doumergue, et assure la présidence de la Conférence des directeurs des grands réseaux ferroviaires. Président de la Commission technique des grands travaux contre le chômage, il assiste le ministre du Travail Adrien Marquet.
Le 12 juin 1937, Dautry fait valoir ses droits à la retraite de directeur de l'État et quitte les Chemins de fer de l'État. Peu après, il accède aux fonctions de président de la société Hispano-Suiza et d'administrateur-délégué de la Compagnie générale d'électricité. On songe à lui confier la présidence de la SNCF nouvellement créée (août 1937), mais il est finalement nommé directeur général honoraire des chemins de fer de l'État et entre au conseil d'administration de la SNCF et de la Société générale des chemins de fer économiques. Il préside le comité d'études du tunnel sous la Manche. En 1938 il est président de la Compagnie générale d'électrométallurgie, administrateur de la Compagnie parisienne de l'air comprimé, administrateur délégué de la Compagnie générale d'électricité, vice-président de la Compagnie générale d'entreprises électriques, administrateur de la Compagnie franco-polonaise des chemins de fer. En 1939 il est nommé vice-président du comité d'action économique et douanier, président des Houillères de Ronchamps, administrateur de compagnies d'assurances.
Il démissionne de tous ses conseils d'administration quand il est nommé le 13 septembre 1939 ministre de l'Armement dans le gouvernement d'Édouard Daladier. Avant d'accepter ce portefeuille, il a posé une condition : que lui soit rattaché le CNRS. Son directeur de cabinet est Jean Bichelonne. Il obtient l'accord de Daladier pour envoyer une mission en Norvège chercher le stock disponible d'eau lourde convoitée par les Allemands et se charge, en pleine débâcle, de mettre à l'abri en Angleterre le stock d'eau lourde française. Il crée la Compagnie des travailleurs militaires pour trouver une main-d'oeuvre suffisante à l'effort de guerre. Il démissionne le 18 juin 1940, se retire dans sa propriété de Lourmarin (Vaucluse) qu'il a achetée en 1932 et reste éloigné de la vie politique jusqu'en 1944. Il reprend cependant son activité au sein des diverses sociétés : Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits, Société générale des chemins de fer économiques, etc. En septembre 1944, il préside le Secours social.
Le 16 novembre 1944 le général de Gaulle le nomme ministre de la Reconstruction et de l'Urbanisme (MRU), poste qu'il occupe jusqu'au 20 janvier 1946. A cette occasion il demande à Auguste Perret de reconstruire la ville du Havre. Durant cette période il est également élu maire de Lourmarin (Vaucluse) et le restera jusqu'à sa mort.
On lui doit la création, en octobre 1945, du Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) dont Frédéric Joliot-Curie assure la direction scientifique et technique et lui-même la direction administrative et financière. Il choisit pour le CEA le site de Saclay dont Auguste Perret construit les bâtiments. Il est aussi président du conseil d'administration de la Cité universitaire (Paris) et vice président du centre européen de la Culture (Genève). Le 8 avril 1946, il est élu membre libre de l'Académie des sciences morales et politiques. Il décède brusquement le 21 août 1951 dans sa propriété de Lourmarin.
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