René de La Croix de Castries

René de La Croix de Castries (6 August 1908 – 17 July 1986) was a French historian and a member of the House of Castries. He was the sixteenth member elected to occupy seat 2 of the Académie française in 1972. He wrote under the pen name Duc de Castries, a courtesy title drawn from his family’s extinct dukedom.

Early life
René de la Croix de Castries was born on 6 August 1908 in La Bastide-d'Engras, Gard, France. He grew up in a castle in Gaujac, Gard, and attended school in Nîmes and Versailles. He studied Political Science and Public Finance.

Career
He served in the Second World War. He was sent to Lebanon in 1939, and returned to France in 1940.

He served as Mayor of Castries from 1941 to 1950. He moved to Paris in 1951.

He gave lectures at the Cercle de l'Union interalliée, and served as Vice-President of the Société des gens de lettres in 1964. He was appointed to the Académie française on 4 May 1972, becoming the 35th Duke to join the institution.

Personal life
Castries married Monique de Casagne in 1934. The following year, he bought the family castle, Château de Castries, in Castries, Hérault, near Montpellier. In 1985, he gave the Château de Castries to the Académie française. He died on 17 July 1986.