1. Claude Jacqueline Pompidou was the wife of President of France Georges Pompidou.
14 Facts About Claude Pompidou
2.
Claude Pompidou was a philanthropist and a patron of modern art, especially through the Centre Georges Pompidou.
3.
Claude Pompidou's mother died when she was three years old.
4.
Claude Pompidou met Georges Pompidou, her future husband, during the first year of her studies; he was then working as a literature teacher at a lycee.
5.
Georges Pompidou fought in the Battle of France in the Second World War, before resuming his career as a teacher.
6.
Claude Pompidou joined the staff of Charles de Gaulle after France was liberated.
7.
Claude Pompidou joined de Rothschild Freres as a banker in 1953, and became general manager of a bank in 1956.
8.
Claude Pompidou won public acclaim for his handling of the May 1968 strike but it caused friction with De Gaulle, leading to his resignation as Prime Minister once the crisis had passed.
9.
Meanwhile, Mme Claude Pompidou was noted for her interest in fashion.
10.
Claude Pompidou ran for the Presidency in 1969 and was elected, but Mme Claude Pompidou did not enjoy political life, once calling the Elysee Palace a "house of sadness".
11.
Claude Pompidou played a key role in establishing the Centre Georges Claude Pompidou.
12.
Claude Pompidou was particularly inspired by the work of Yves Klein.
13.
Claude Pompidou continued to play an active role in French artistic life in subsequent decades.
14.
Claude Pompidou published her memoirs, L'Elan du Coeur, in 1997.