Background
MESTRE, Philippe was born on August 23, 1927 in Talmont, Vendée, France. Parents: Raoul Mestre and Anne Mestre (née Lapie).
MESTRE, Philippe was born on August 23, 1927 in Talmont, Vendée, France. Parents: Raoul Mestre and Anne Mestre (née Lapie).
Claude Debussy College. Faculty of Law, Paris, Bachelor of Law. Diploma of the French National Overseas School.
Administrator, French Overseas Territories, 1951. Deputy Head of Governor’s Office, Secretary General, French Equatorial Africa, 1951. Head of districts, Congo, 1952-1957.
Director of High Commissioners Office, Congo, 1957-1960. Sub-Prefect of Cassaigne, 1961. Deputy Director of Information, Algerian General Delegation, 1961.
Head of Prefect’s Office, Indre-et-Loire, 1962. Technical adviser to Minister of the Armies’ Office, 1964-1969. Head of Mission, then technical adviser to the Office of Jacques Chaban-Delmas (Prime Minister), 1969-1972.
Chairman, Inter-Ministerial Mission for Overseas Repatriates, 1969-1970. Prefect of Gers, 1970-1971. Adviser to Pierre Messmer (Prime Minister), 1972-1973.
Prefect of Basse-Normandie and of Calvados, 1973-1976. Prefect of Pays de Loire and of LoireAtlantique, 1976-1978. Took up his right to retire, 1984.
Cabinet Director to Raymond Barre (Prime Minister), 1978-1981. Deputy for Vendée (1st constituency), 1981-1986, re-elected 1986, 1988. Vice-Chairman, National Assembly.
1986-1988; First Vice-President, Regional Council of Pays de la Loire. Chairman, Serpo (Presse-Océan), since 1981.
Spouse Janine Joseph, 1951. Children: Béatrice, Anne, JacquesOlivier.