He was born in Chaumont-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne, France.
World War II French Resistance fighter and a close ally of Charles de Gaulle, he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and survived Buchenwald concentration camp.
After the war, he served as a Minister in French governments between 1945-1958. As Foreign Minister (February 1956 - May 1958), he was responsible for handling the Suez canal crisis and negotiating the Treaty of Rome.
He is buried in Le Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.