28 mars 1888
6 août 1987
Noël, Léon (1888-1987)
Léon Noël (1888-1987) est né le 28 mars 1888 à Paris, dans le IXe arrondissement. Fils de Jules Noël, conseiller d’État, il s’oriente vers la même carrière que son père et présente, après avoir obtenu un doctorat en droit, le concours de l’auditorat en 1912. Il entre au Conseil d’État en décembre 1912 en tant qu’auditeur de 2e classe. En 1919, il devient auditeur de 1ère classe. Le 1er février 1919, Léon Noël est promu chef adjoint du cabinet de Maurice Colrat de Montrozier, député de la Gauche républicaine et démocratique, qui occupe successivement, entre 1921 et 1924, les fonctions de sous-secrétaire d’État à l’Intérieur, sous-secrétaire d’État à la Présidence du Conseil, puis de ministre de la Justice.
Le 28 novembre 1924, Léon Noël est nommé maître des requêtes et exerce les fonctions de commissaire du gouvernement à la section du Contentieux.
Du 24 juin 1926 au 17 juillet 1926, Léon Noël est le chef du cabinet civil du général Louis-Adolphe Guillaumat, ministre de la guerre dans le dixième gouvernement Briand.
De décembre 1927 à juin 1930, Léon Noël est délégué général du haut-commissariat de la République française dans les provinces du Rhin. Il est ensuite nommé préfet du Haut-Rhin le 11 juillet 1930. Il ne reste toutefois pas longtemps en poste, car, le 27 janvier 1931, Pierre Laval, nouvellement nommé président du Conseil et ministre de l’Intérieur, lui confie la direction de son cabinet, avant de le nommer, en avril 1931, secrétaire général du ministère de l'Intérieur et directeur de la Sûreté générale.
Le 14 janvier 1932, Léon Noël est nommé directeur de cabinet de Pierre Laval, alors président du Conseil et ministre des Affaires étrangères. Après avoir été nommé conseiller d’État, Léon Noël s’oriente vers une carrière diplomatique : d'abord ministre plénipotentiaire à Prague où il est envoyé le 6 mai 1932, il devient, après avoir été secrétaire général à la présidence du Conseil (Paul-Étienne Flandin) à peine un mois, ambassadeur à Varsovie le 12 mars 1935. Léon Noël reste en poste jusqu’en juin 1940 et relate ses années à Varsovie dans L’Agression allemande contre la Pologne.
En juin 1940, Léon Noël est désigné pour représenter les Affaires étrangères dans la commission d’armistice dirigée par le général Huntziger, mais il refuse de parapher les armistices franco-allemand et franco-italien signés dans la clairière de Rethondes et à Rome en présence de Hitler et du général Badoglio.
Le maréchal Pétain lui témoigne son estime en le nommant, le 9 juillet 1940, délégué général du gouvernement en zone occupée. En désaccord avec le régime de Vichy, Léon Noël démissionne 10 jours plus tard et se rallie au général de Gaulle. Sous l’Occupation, il devient l’un des chefs de file intellectuels de la Résistance en organisant notamment des réunions clandestines à son domicile parisien.
Durant cette période, Léon Noël côtoie le milieu des affaires : il est successivement administrateur du Crédit foncier de France et administrateur des chemins de fer du Midi (1941-1951), administrateur de la Compagnie générale d’assurances (1947) et membre du conseil d’administration de la Compagnie foncière de France de 1949 à 1951. Après la guerre, il devient également membre du conseil d’administration de plusieurs sociétés, Rhône-Poulenc, Esso Standard et Les chemins de fer du Midi, ainsi que diverses sociétés d’assurances.
Léon Noël adhère au Rassemblement du peuple français (RPF) dès sa création par le général de Gaulle en 1947. Il devient vice-président du conseil national du parti en 1949.
En 1951, Léon Noël se présente à la députation. Son choix se porte sur le département de l’Yonne où il possède une maison, et dont son beau-père, Marcel Ribière, fut successivement député puis sénateur. Tête de liste du RPF, il conclut une alliance avec la liste radicale menée par André Jais et la liste indépendante du maire d’Auxerre, Jean Moreau. Lors du premier tour, le 17 juin 1951, les trois listes recueillent 64 114 voix sur 124 774 suffrages exprimées ; elles emportent donc la totalité des quatre sièges à pouvoir. À l’Assemblée, Léon Noël rejoint la Commission des affaires étrangères et la Commission de la justice et de la législation. Il intervient à plusieurs reprises dans l’hémicycle pour exposer les positions du RPF sur l’Europe. La fonction parlementaire n’enthousiasme guère Léon Noël qui ne sollicite pas le renouvellement de son mandat aux élections législatives du 2 janvier 1956 organisées suite à la dissolution décidée par Edgar Faure, président du Conseil.
Membre de l’Académie des sciences morales et politiques depuis 1944, il en est élu président en 1958.
Léon Noël est de ceux qui favorisent et accompagnent le retour au pouvoir du général de Gaulle en mai 1958.
Entre juillet et août 1958, Léon Noël fait partie du Comité consultatif constitutionnel chargé d’examiner l’avant-projet de Constitution. Le 20 février 1959, il devient le premier président du Conseil constitutionnel. Il reste à la tête de cette institution jusqu’au 3 mars 1965. Quelques mois après avoir quitté la présidence du Conseil constitutionnel, en janvier 1966, Léon Noël s’acquitte d’une dernière mission pour le compte du gouvernement, en soumettant un projet de réforme concernant l'organisation, la composition et le fonctionnement des services de police ainsi que leur rapports avec la justice.
Léon Noël décède le 6 août 1987 dans sa maison de Toucy, dans l’Yonne.
Distinctions :
Grand-croix de la Légion d’honneur.
Grand-croix de l’Ordre national du Mérite.
Grand-croix de l’Ordre Polonia Restituta (Pologne).
Grand-croix de l’Ordre du Lion blanc (Tchécoslovaquie).
Grand-croix de l’Ordre royal du Cambodge.
Commandeur de l’Ordre du Nichan Iftikhar (Tunisie).
Chevalier de l’Ordre du Million d’Éléphants et du Parasol blanc (Laos).
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes académiques.
Décoré de l’Ordre de la Couronne de Roumanie.
Décoré de l’Ordre de la Couronne de Belgique.
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