Futuroscope founder and distinguished politician René Monory dies aged 85

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Distinguished politician and founder of Futuroscope René Monory died last weekend at his family home in Loudun, Vienne.  He was aged 85.

Mr Monory was famed for championing mutual funds, and made it easier for employees to own shares in their companies, with the first legislation to encourage employee share-ownership plans becoming known as Monory Law. 

Coming from humble beginnings as a car mechanic, Mr Monory became mayor of Loudun in 1959, and climbed the political ladder despite his lack of formal political education.  It has always been a rarity in France for leading politicians to come from anything other than the elite administrative training academies, such as the Ecole nationale d'administration, known as ENA.

He was elected to the senate in 1968, and joined the government of President Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1977, looking after industry and commerce before becoming economics minister a year later.

President Sarkozy praised the former statesman in a statement, saying that he was "Self-taught and of modest origins, a mechanic's apprentice at 15 and passionate worker, he mounted one by one the echelons of the nation's meritocracy.''

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