Joseph I. France (ARC)

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Joseph I. France
Joseph France, photo portrait head and shoulders.jpg
33rd President of the United States
In office
February 8, 1936 – January 26, 1939
Vice PresidentJoseph I. France
Preceded byCharles Curtis
Succeeded byFrank Knox
United States Senator
from Maryland
In office
March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1923
Preceded byBlair Lee I
Succeeded byWilliam Cabell Bruce
Member of the Maryland State Senate
In office
1907–1909
Personal details
Born
Joseph Irwin France

(1873-10-11)October 11, 1873
Cameron, Missouri
DiedJanuary 26, 1939(1939-01-26) (aged 65)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeHopewell Cemetery
Port Deposit, Maryland
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Alma materHamilton College
University of Leipzig<brClark University

Joseph Irwin France (October 11, 1873 – January 26, 1939) was an American politician who served as the 33rd President of the United States from 1936 to 1939. France previously served as a US Senator representing the state of Maryland from 1917 to 1923. Known for his progressive character, particularly for his support of Civil Rights for African-Americans, France, during his brief three-year-long term as president, largely continued his predecessor, Charles Curtis's interventionist policies amidst the ongoing Great Depression crisis at the time. After briefly serving as president following the death in office of Charles Curtis, France went on to narrowly win the 1936 presidential election against Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt, thereby allowing him to serve a full term as president, which he, much like his predecessor, ultimately failed to do, for he would later pass away on January 26, 1939, at the age of sixty-five, leading to his vice president, Frank Knox, to serve the remainder of his term as the new president.

Much like his immediate predecessor, France, despite his also brief three-year-long presidency, was nonetheless rated highly by historians who, whilst not crediting France for any new particular policies, nonetheless praised him for continuing his predecessor, Charles Curtis's popular interventionist policies amidst the Great Depression crisis at the time. Additionally, his support for African-American civil rights has also made him a popular figure among liberals and African-Americans, whom noted his attempt to have a bill criminalising lynching as a federal crime as president, although this ultimately proved unsuccessful due to opposition from powerful Southern politicians.