1969 in France

Incumbents

• President:
• * until 28 April: Charles de Gaulle
• * 28 April–June 20: Alain Poher
• * starting June 20: Georges Pompidou
• Prime Minister: Maurice Couve de Murville, Jacques Chaban-Delmas

  Events

• 2 March - In Toulouse the first Concorde test flight is conducted.
• 27 April - Constitutional Referendum held and proposals were rejected.
• 28 April - President Charles de Gaulle resigns as a result of the referendum.
• 19 May–20 May - French Foreign Legion paratroopers land onto Kolwezi, Zaire, to rescue Europeans in the middle of a civil war.
• 1 June - Presidential Election held.
• 15 June - Presidential Election held and Georges Pompidou is elected.
• 4 August - At the apartment of French intermediary, Jean Sainteny, in Paris, U.S. representative Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Xuan Thuy begin secret peace negotiations. They eventually fail since both sides cannot agree to any terms.
• 7 October - Launch of the Renault 12 at the Paris Motor Show. The R12 will be sold as a four-door saloon and five-door estate, and is similar in size to French products like the Peugeot 504 and foreign products like the Ford Cortina and Vauxhall Victor.

  Arts and literature

Sport

• 28 June - Tour de France begins.
• 20 July - Tour de France ends, won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium.

  Births

January to March

• 3 January - Marie Darrieussecq, writer.
• 12 January - Stéphane Stoecklin, handball player.
• 13 January - Thierry Gadou, basketball player.
• 23 January - Christophe Épalle, hammer thrower.
• 4 February - Rémi Lange, film director.
• 7 February - Jean-Michel Ferri, soccer player.
• 12 February - Jean-Pierre Cyprien, soccer player.
• 16 February - David Douillet, judoka.
• 7 March - Éric Decroix, soccer player.
• 7 March - Christophe Le Roux, soccer player.
• 15 March - Sylvain Curinier, slalom canoer and Olympic medallist.
• 20 March - Fabien Galthié, rugby union player and coach.

  April to June

• 1 April - Jean-Michel Bayle, motorcycle racer.
• 1 April - Arnaud Boetsch, tennis player.
• 3 April - Jean-Marie Aubry, soccer player.
• 3 April - Clotilde Courau, Princess of Venice and Piedmont, actress.
• 3 April - Jean-Jacques Crenca, rugby union player.
• 20 April - Cécile Rigaux, beach volleyball player.
• 23 April - Jean-François Hernandez, soccer player.
• 2 May - Benoît Cauet, soccer player.
• 5 May - Sophie Moniotte, figure skater.
• 6 May - Emmanuel Larcenet, comics writer and artist.
• 9 May - Frédéric Arpinon, soccer player.
• 13 May - Nikos Aliagas, television presenter.
• 14 May - Stéphane Adam, soccer player and coach.
• 14 May - Stéphan Grégoire, motor racing driver.
• 23 May - Laurent Aïello, motor racing driver.
• 13 June - Virginie Despentes, novelist and filmmaker.
• 16 June - Bénabar, songwriter and singer.
• 28 June - Odile Lesage, heptathlete.
• 30 June - Stéphane Azambre, cross-country skier.

  July to September

• 3 July - Patrick Valéry, soccer player.
• 23 July - Stéphane Diagana, athlete.
• 29 July - Ludovic Depickère, swimmer.
• 31 July - Olivier Allamand French freestyle skier and Olympic medallist.
• 27 August - Jean-Cyril Robin, cyclist.
• 30 August - Laurent Delahousse, journalist.
• 31 August - Nathalie Bouvier, alpine skier.
• 3 September - Georges Sainte-Rose, triple jumper.
• 16 September - Laurent Desbiens, cyclist.
• 24 September - Cyrille Magnier, soccer player.
• 26 September - Philippe Sanchez, cross-country skier.

  October to December

• 8 October - Laurent Viaud, soccer player and scout.
• 22 October - Christophe Caze, terrorist.
• 6 November - Sophie Villeneuve, cross-country skier.
• 7 November - Hélène Grimaud, pianist.
• 18 November - Anne-Lise Bardet, slalom canoer and Olympic medallist.
• 28 November - Jean-David Morvan, comics author.
• 4 December - Didier Mollard, ski jumper.
• 6 December - Christophe Agnolutto, cyclist.
• 9 December - Bixente Lizarazu, soccer player.
• 12 December - Laurent Chalet, Director of Photography.
• 21 December - Julie Delpy, actress.
• 27 December - Jean-Christophe Boullion, motor racing driver.

  Full date unknown

• Christophe Brunnquell, art director and artist.

  Deaths

January to June

• 2 January - Georges Renavent, actor.
• 20 March - Henri Longchambon, politician.
• 22 March - Camille Mandrillon, biathlete and Olympic medallist.
• 26 March - René Guillot, author.
• 6 April - Gabriel Chevallier, novelist.
• 3 May - Darius Paul Dassault, General.
• 14 May
• *Raymond Louviot, cyclist.
• *Jacques Thubé, sailor and Olympic gold medallist.
• 12 June - Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie, journalist, politician and French Resistance member.

  July to December

• July - Lou Albert-Lasard, Expressionist painter.
• 18 July - Alfred Janniot, Art Deco sculptor.
• 3 August
• *Daniel Gousseau, secretary-general of the French Cycling Union.
• *Xavier Lesage, horse rider and Olympic gold medallist.
• 7 August - Jean Bastien, soccer player.
• 8 September - Alexandra David-Néel, explorer.
• 4 October - Léon Brillouin, physicist.
• 2 December - Didier Daurat, aviation pioneer.
• 6 December - André-Gaston Prételat, General.
• 7 December - Élisabeth d'Ayen, tennis player.
• 21 December - Georges Catroux, military officer and diplomat.
• 26 December - Louise Leveque de Vilmorin, novelist, poet and journalist.

  Full date unknown

• Marcel LaFosse, musician and trumpeter.