Maurice is most known for his ascent of Annapurna in 1950 with Louis Lachenal, which was the first ascent of an 8000m peak. His book describing their ascent (titled simply 'Annapurna') has sold over 11 million copies.
Key Dates in his life (From Le Dauphine Website):
1919: Birth January 15 in Lyon.
1945-1958: Director of Kleber Colombes
1950: Annapurna Expedtion
1952-1955: President of the French Alpine Club
1958-1966: High Commissioner and the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports
1962-1978: MP the Rhone and Haute-Savoie.
1966-1967: Member of the Economic and Social Council
1967-1968: Vice President of UNR group in the National Assembly
1968-1977: Mayor of Chamonix
1970: Became a member of the International Olympic Committee.
1967-1984: CEO of Slivafrance.
1981-1984: President of the Society of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel.
1987-1991: President of Spie Batignolles.
Maurice is being discussed in the UKC forums here: Forum Thread.
There is more info (in French) on these sites:
And you can read more in English about Maurice Herzog on Wikipedia.
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