Timeline
Born on 21 December in Amiens.
Graduated from the École nationale d'administration (ENA).
Became an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque.
Appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Élysée.
Appointed Minister of Economics and Finance.
Founded the political movement En Marche.
Elected President of France.
Re-elected President of France.
Biography
Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. He founded the political party En Marche (later Renaissance) in 2016. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Deputy Secretary-General to the President from 2012 to 2014 and as Minister of Economics and Finance from 2014 to 2016 under President François Hollande. Elected at 39, he became the youngest president in French history. He was re-elected in 2022, becoming the first French president to win re-election since 2002. His presidency has seen reforms to labour laws, taxation, and pensions, as well as France's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and significant foreign policy engagement. He has recently faced political crises, including hung parliaments and frequent changes in prime ministers.
Early Life & Background
Emmanuel Macron was born on 21 December 1977 in Amiens, France. His mother, Françoise Macron (née Noguès), is a physician, and his father, Jean-Michel Macron, is a professor of neurology; they divorced in 2010. He has two younger siblings, Laurent and Estelle. Macron's family legacy traces back to Authie, Picardy, and his maternal grandparents were from Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Gascony. He was particularly influenced by his maternal grandmother, Germaine, who fostered his love of reading and leftward political leanings. Though raised in a non-religious family, he was baptized Catholic at age 12 and is now agnostic. He was educated at Lycée la Providence in Amiens and Lycée Henri-IV in Paris.
Education
Macron studied philosophy at Paris Nanterre University, where he obtained a DEA degree (master level) with a thesis on Machiavelli and Hegel. Around 1999, he worked as an editorial assistant to philosopher Paul Ricoeur. He also obtained a master's degree in public affairs at Sciences Po, majoring in "Public Guidance and Economy." Macron graduated from the selective École nationale d'administration (ENA) in 2004, having trained at the French Embassy in Nigeria and the prefecture of Oise. He completed his high school curriculum and undergraduate program at Lycée Henri-IV in Paris with a "Bac S, Mention Très bien" and received a diploma for his piano studies at Amiens Conservatory.
Political & Professional Career
Macron worked for the Citizens' Movement from 1998 to 2000 and was an assistant for Mayor Georges Sarre. He joined the Socialist Party, renewing his membership between 2006 and 2009. From 15 May 2012 to 10 June 2014, he served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Élysée, a senior role in President François Hollande's staff. He was appointed Minister of Economics and Finance in the Second Valls government in 2014, serving until 2016. In 2016, he resigned to launch his presidential campaign and founded the centrist political movement En Marche. He was elected President of France in May 2017 and re-elected for a second term in 2022. His presidency has been marked by reforms, leading France's COVID-19 response, and navigating recent political crises involving hung parliaments and multiple prime minister appointments.
Key Achievements & Legacy
Elected President of France in May 2017, becoming the youngest French president at 39., Re-elected President of France in 2022, the first French presidential candidate to win re-election since Jacques Chirac in 2002., Oversaw reforms to labour laws, taxation, and pensions during his presidency., Led France's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recession, including the country's vaccination rollout., Signed treaties with Germany and Italy and conducted €40 billion in trade and business agreements with China.