Eugène Vaillé

Eugène Vaillé (born on 10 August 1875 in Bédarieux [ [http://academiedephilatelie.org/memorialtitulaires.html Memorial] on the Académie de philatélie's website, update of 30 May 2006 (retrieved 24 November 2006).] - died in 1959 in Riols(1959). "Nécrologie : Eugène Vaillé". "Bulletin des bibliothèques de France" #10, pages 444-445 ; retrieved [http://bbf.enssib.fr/sdx/BBF/frontoffice/1959/10/document.xsp?id=bbf-1959-10-0444-003/1959/10/fam-tourhorizon/tourhorizon&statutMaitre=non&statutFils=non here] 3 November 2007.] ) was a French postal historian and the first curator of the postal museum of France, now La Poste's Museum, from 1946 to 1955.

Biography

Born in Hérault, Vaillé was a Doctor in Law. In 1920, he was hired by the Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones as a librarian. During this following decade, he managed the central library of the PTT.

In 1936, he convinced PTT Minister Georges Mandel to start again the project to create a postal museum ; the first one took place late 19th-early 20th century. Even if the economic crisis of the 1930s and World War 2 prevented any concrete action, Vaillé inventoriated the collections and material available in the French posts' archives and libraries. In 1943, he became president of the future museum's ruling board.

On 4 June 1946, he became its first curator with the inaugural of the Postal Museum of France. The museum was installed in the Choiseul-Praslin residence in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. He retired in 1955.

A French postal historian, he was elected titulary member of the Académie de philatélie in 1938, then was entitled honorary member in 1955. He is known for the writing of a "General History of the French Posts" in sept tomes, published between 1947 and 1955.

Publications

* (1947-1955). "Histoire générale des Postes françaises" [General History of the French Posts] , 7 volumes, Paris, Presses universitaires de France.
* (1946). "Histoire des postes françaises jusqu'à la Révolution" [History of the French Posts until the Revolution] , "Que sais-je ?" collection, #200, Presses universitaires de France.
* (1947). "Histoire des postes françaises depuis la Révolution" [History of the French Posts since the Revolution] , "Que sais-je ?" collection, #260, Presses universitaires de France.
* (1950). "Le Cabinet noir. Histoire du contrôle et de la violation de la correspondance privée" [The Black Room. History of the Control and Violation of the Private Correspondence] , Paris, Presses universitaires de France.
* (1952). "La Poste en France au milieu du XXe siècle " [French Post in the middle of the 20th Century] , Paris, Postal Museum. Engravings by Henry Cheffer, Paul Dufresne, Albert Decaris, Paul-Pierre Lemagny, Charles Mazelin and cover in colors by René Dessirier.
* (1959). "Histoire du timbre-poste" [History of the Postage Stamp] , "Que sais-je ?" collection, #273, Presses universitaires de France.

He wrote fables under the pseudonym of "Jean Coulanges".

Sources and references

* Martin Hella (December 2006). « Du Musée postal de France au musée de La Poste » [From the Postal Museum of France to La Poste's Museum] . "L'Écho de la timbrologie" #1802, pages 38-42.