Born 14 July 1947, Xavier Darcos has a PhD in Latin studies and is a University Professor Emeritus in letters and social sciences.
He started teaching in September 1968, first in Périgueux, then on literature foundation courses at the Montaigne Lycée in Bordeaux 1982 to 1987, and from there went to the Louis-le-Grand Lycée in Paris from 1987 to 1992.
In 1989 Xavier Darcos was elected Deputy to the Mayor of Périgueux, becoming Mayor from 1997 to 2009, Senator of Dordogne from 1998 to 2002, and member of the Aquitaine Regional Council from 2004 to 2011.
In 1992 he became a Senior School Inspector. From 1993, he was Chief of Staff to Education Minister François Bayrou, Advisor to Prime Minister Alain Juppé from 1995-1997 on education and culture, and president of the school inspectors department from 1995 to 1998. From 1996 to 1999 and 2005 to 2007, he was also a Professor of comparative literature at the Paris IV-Sorbonne.
In 2002, he was appointed Minister for School Education in Jean-Pierre Raffarin’s cabinet and then Deputy Minister of Cooperation, Development and Francophonie.
From 2005 to 2007, Xavier Darcos was ambassador and permanent representative of France to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development).
On 18 May 2007 he was appointed Minister of Education then in June 2009, Minister of Labour, Social Relations and Family, Solidarity and the City in François Fillon’s cabinet.
Appointed 8 June 2010 as “Ambassador on a Mission for France’s external cultural activities” he was tasked with establishing the Institut Français, a global network of which he was the first executive President from 1st January 2011 to 1st February 2015. Then from 2015 to 2017 he was “Ambassador of France’s influence abroad”.
He was elected to the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques on 26 June 2006 in the Morale et Sociologie section. He was Permanent Secretary of this academy from 2010 to 2016.
On 13 June 2013 he was elected into the Académie Française to the seat of Pierre-Jean Remy (40th seat).
Since January 2018, Xavier Darcos has been Chancellor of the Institut de France, he is also a Commander of the Légion d’honneur, Officer in the Ordre National du Mérite, Commander of the Palmes Académiques and Commander of Arts et des Lettres.
Language spoken: French
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