Maurice David

Maurice David (7 May 1891 – 1974) was a French educationalist and writer.[1] He served as France's Inspector General of Public Instruction and was the co-founder of the Maîtrise de Radio France.

Maurice David
David in 1969
Born
Maurice Jacques Ernest David

(1891-05-07)7 May 1891
Tonneins, France
Died1974
Paris, France
Occupations
  • educationalist
  • writer

Life and career

David was born in Tonneins, a small town in south-western France, the son of Eugène François and Marthe Anne (née Rabié) David. He studied at the lycées in Poitiers and La Rochelle and then at the Prytanée National Militaire. He received his Agrégation in literature in 1914 shortly before the outbreak of World War I. After serving in the French army during the war, he began his teaching career in French North Africa, teaching at the lycées in Constantine, Algiers, and Tunis. By 1929 he had become the academic inspector of education for the region and Vice-Rector of the Algiers Académie.[2][3][4]

In 1940, in his capacity as the Vice-Rector of the Algiers Académie, he refused the order from the Vichy Government to dismiss Jewish instructors. He was sent back to France and assigned as the inspector for the Montpellier Académie. He also joined the French Resistance and later wrote Monsieur Gaétan Instituteur, a novel based on his experiences during that time. After the liberation in 1945, he was appointed Director of Teaching Services and subsequently France's Inspector General of Public Instruction (Inspecteur général de l'instruction publique). He played a prominent role in France's post-war education reforms and introduced a system allowing children to study academic subjects for half the day and receive specialised training in sports or music for the other half. In 1946 he co-founded the Maîtrise de Radio France, France's first lay choir school.[5][6] David was awarded the Resistance Medal (with rosette) in 1946 and in 1953 was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour.[7][8]

David died in 1974 and was buried in Soumensac next to his wife Isabelle (née Biraben). They had married in Soumensac in 1920 and had two children. Their son André David (1922–2007) was a composer, pianist, and physician.[3][2][9]

Books
  • Joseph Conrad l'homme et l'œuvre (1929). Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Critique,
  • Stendhal sa vie son œuvre (1931. Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Critique
  • Nous et nos enfants psychologie et méthode (1936). Fernand Nathan
  • Initiation à Charles Péguy (1945). La Nouvelle Édition
  • Autour de la pédagogie (1960). Fernand Nathan
  • Monsieur Gaétan instituteur (1960). Éditions du Scorpion

References
  1. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Notice de personne: David, Maurice (1891-1974). Retrieved 17 October 2017 (in French).
  2. Brunetaud, Guy (27 July 2016). "Les lettres de la Grande Guerre". Sud-Ouest. Retrieved 17 October 2017 (in French).
  3. Lafitte, Jacques (ed.) (1969). "David (Maurice Jacques Ernest)". Who's Who in France, Vol. 11, p. 494. J. Lafitte (in French)
  4. Laboratoire de recherche historique Rhône-Alpes. "Les agrégés de l'enseignement secondaire. Répertoire 1809-1950". Retrieved 17 October 2017 (in French).
  5. Pauwels, R. (October 1962). "Livres et revues: Monsieur Gaëtan Instituteur", L'Éducateur. p. 27. Retrieved 17 October 2017 (in French).
  6. Barraud, Henry (edited and annotated by Myriam Chimènes and Karine Le Bail) (2010). Un compositeur aux commandes de la radio. p. 286. Fayard. ISBN 2213663564 (in French)
  7. Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et décrets (1 December 1946), p. 10479
  8. Journal officiel de la République française. Lois et décrets (4 September 1953), p. 7857
  9. Le Républicain (6 July 2017). "André David mise à l'honneur". Retrieved 17 October 2017 (in French).
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