Jack Lang
Member of the French National Assembly for Pas-de-Calais (6th constituency)
Incumbent
Assumed office  19 June 2002
Preceded by	Dominique Dupilet
Education Minister of France
In office 27 March 2000 – 5 May 2002
Preceded by	Claude Allègre
Succeeded by	Luc Ferry
In office 3 April 1992 – 29 March 1993
Preceded by	Lionel Jospin
Succeeded by	François Bayrou
Culture Minister of France
In office 13 May 1988 – 2 April 1992
Preceded by	François Léotard
Succeeded by	Jacques Toubon
In office 22 May 1981 – 19 March 1986
Preceded by	Michel d'Ornano
Succeeded by	François Léotard
Member of the French National Assembly for Loir-et-Cher
In office 16 March 1986 – 28 July 1988
In office 1 June 1997 – 27 April 2000
Mayor of Blois
In office 20 March 1989 – 2000
Preceded by	Pierre Sudreau
Succeeded by	Bernard Valette
Born	September 2, 1939 (1939-09-02) (age 68) Mirecourt, Vosges, France
Nationality	French
Political party	Socialist

Jack Mathieu Émile Lang (born 2 September 1939^[1]) is a French politician and a member of the French Socialist Party. He currently serves in the National Assembly from the sixth district of Pas-de-Calais.^[1]

Biography

Lang was born to Roger Lang and Marie-Luce Bouchet in Mirecourt, in the département of Vosges. He studied political science at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and went on to receive a postgraduate degree in public law. His career then focused on a combination of teaching and culture and the arts. He was the founder and producer of Festival du Monde in Nancy, France, was director of the Nancy University Theatre from 1963 to 1972 and then director of the Palais de Chaillot Théâtre from 1972 to 1974. At the same time he was a professor of international law from 1971 to 1981. He married Monique Buczynski in 1961 and they have two daughters.

Lang entered politics as a Socialist member of French National Assembly from Paris in 1977. He is best known for having served as Minister of Culture (22 May 1981-19 March 1986 and 13 May 1988-29 March 1993) and as Minister of Education (3 April 1992 to 29 March 1993 and 27 March 2000 to 5 May 2002).^[1]

In 1981, while Minister of Culture, he created the Fête de la Musique, a massive celebration of music held on 21 June each year, where many amateur musicians give free open-air performances. He is the co-founder and president of the Union of the Theatres of Europe.

In August 1981, he created the Lang Law, which fixes the price of books.

Lang was a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997.^[1] In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Paris. While he had planned to run for president in 2007 he decided not to register as a candidate for the Socialist nomination in the name of party unity.

In 2007, Lang agreed to become co-chairman of a commission drafting changes to the Constitution that were supported by President Nicolas Sarkozy and opposed by the Socialist Party. This decision provoked strong criticism from his party, leading him to end his role in the party leadership. When Parliament voted on the constitutional changes on July 21, 2008, he voted in favor, becoming the only Socialist deputy to do so. A three-fifths majority was required, and the changes passed by a vote of 539 to 357, meaning that Lang's support enabled the bill to pass by a one-vote margin. The Socialist Party denounced Lang for this vote; party spokesman Julien Dray said that he had "gone too far" and "no longer has his place in our political family", while Jean-Marc Ayrault, the President of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, said that Lang's vote was an act of "crossing the Rubicon". Lang replied by saying that it "is in nobody's power to strike me from the map of the French political landscape".^[2]

References

External links

• Jack Lang - Blog