Marcel Sembat

Marcel Sembat (, 19 October 1862 – 5 September 1922) was a French Socialist politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1893 to 1922, and as Minister of Public Works from August 26, 1914, to December 12, 1916.

Early life
Marcel Sembat was born on October 19, 1862, in Bonnières-sur-Seine, Seine-et-Oise, France. He went to school in Mantes-la-Jolie, attended the Collège Stanislas in Paris and later received a PhD in law.

Journalism
He started a career in journalism and co-founded the Revue de l'évolution. From 1890 to 1897, he was the editor of La Petite République, created by Leon Gambetta. It was then that he became a Socialist. He also wrote for La Revue socialiste, La Revue de l'enseignement primaire, Documents du Progrès, La Lanterne, Petit sou and Paris-Journal. He later became an editor of L'Humanité.

Politics
He served as member of the Chamber of Deputies of France from 1893 to 1922. A socialist, he supported workers' rights during strikes. He oversaw the construction of telephone cables from Brest, France to Dakar, Senegal. He supported Algerians against French colonialists in French Algeria. He was opposed to the presence of French Christian missionaries in China.

He served as Minister of Public Works from 1914 to 1916, under Prime Ministers René Viviani and Aristide Briand.

Personal life
On February 27, 1897, he married the Fauvist painter and sculptor Georgette Agutte. He wrote a book about Henri Matisse.

Death
He died of cerebral hemorrhage on September 5, 1922, in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France.

Legacy

 * The station of the Paris Métro Marcel Sembat is named for him.
 * The Lycée Marcel Sembat in Sotteville-lès-Rouen is named for him.
 * Boulevard Agutte-Sembat in Grenoble is named for his wife and him.