Former UCO student, associate professor, mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe and Minister of the French Republic, Joël Le Theule was a committed political figure with a deep attachment to his roots.

Born on March 22, 1930 in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, Joël Le Theule remained loyal throughout his life to the town where he was born - and died prematurely on December 14, 1980. From a modest background, he studied brilliantly at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest, graduating in literature in 1950, before becoming an agrégé teacher at the age of 24. He went on to teach preparatory classes at the École spéciale militaire in Saint-Cyr, then at the Prytanée militaire in La Flèche, where he passed on his passion for history to France's future military elite.

In 1959, he was elected mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, a position he held uninterruptedly until his death, while also serving as the town's general councillor. Deeply attached to his town, he actively contributed to its development and local influence.

At the same time, he enjoyed a distinguished national political career. Elected as a Gaullist deputy for Sarthe in 1958, he served in the National Assembly until 1978, with the exception of a brief interruption. A specialist in defense issues, he played a major role on the Armed Forces Committee, which he chaired in 1967-1968.

His ministerial career began under Georges Pompidou, then continued under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who entrusted him with major responsibilities. He was Minister of Transport from 1978 to 1980, then Minister of Defense from October 1980. It was in this position that he died suddenly of heart failure on the night of December 13-14.

A documentary entitled "Joël Le Theule, l'enfant du pays", commissioned by the Sablé-sur-Sarthe town council to mark the 40th anniversary of his death, retraces his career. Find out more below.

His funeral, held in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, was attended by the French President himself.

A man of the field above all, Joël Le Theule was universally appreciated for his simplicity, intellectual rigor and dedication to serving the public interest. In 1990, the Joël le Theule Association was created to encourage young people of Sarthe origin to undertake long-term study stays abroad.

Today, Joël Le Theule is one of UCO's great alumni, whose values of commitment and service he strongly embodies, alongside other alumni such as Jeanne Bohec, André Trannoy and Victor Chatenay.