French Fury Foiled: President Millerand Narrowly Escapes Assassin’s Bullet

On this Bastille Day, July 14, 1922, the streets of Paris witnessed a chilling attempt on the life of President Gaston Doumergue’s predecessor, President Raymond Poincaré was not targeted but, in fact, it was President Alexandre Millerand who was the unsuspecting victim. Anarchist Gaston Bouvet, 23, fired three shots into an open carriage carrying President Millerand on the Champs-Élysées, but miraculously missed him. The President was reportedly riding in a different vehicle, behind a 100-meter distance from Bouvet’s sights, but the intended target was in the vicinity. An eyewitness reported that Bouvet was immediately arrested after a lynch mob formed, intent on meting out their own justice. Bouvet, still reeling from the chaos, confessed to the crime, stating he was driven by anarchist ideology and a desire to kill the President. In a shocking turn of events, Bouvet’s actions were anticipated by Parisian newspapers, who had warned of a possible assassination attempt due to inflammatory articles in the radical press.