Camille Chamoun

Camille Chamoun , 1900-1987, Lebanese political leader. Chamoun held a variety of governmental posts before serving as president of Lebanon (1952-58). A Maronite Christian, Chamoun was opposed by Muslim leaders who disliked his pro-Western policies. The Muslim groups openly rebelled against Chamoun's government in 1958, and, in response to Chamoun's request for help, U.S. marines were sent to support the government. After defending the Lebanese against Syria in the 1975 civil war, he held a succession of ministerial appointments.

Chamoun, Camille ( Sham'un, Kamil) (b. 3 Apr. 1900, d. 7 Aug. 1987). President of Lebanon 1952–8 Born in Deir al-Qamar into a wealthy Maronite family, he graduated from the French Law College of Beirut in 1925, and in 1934 entered Parliament. He became a Minister of Finance in 1938, and of the Interior in 1943. Appointed minister to Great Britain in 1944, he became ambassador to the UN in 1946. Despite his heritage, he came to be hostile to the French influence in the country, favouring Lebanon's closer integration into the Arab world. He was elected President with an overwhelming majority. However, in office he displayed largely pro-Western tendencies, which conflicted with the growing popularity of pan-Arabism, and the appeal of Nasser. He opposed joining the unification of Egypt and Syria into the United Arab Republic (1958), which unleashed a civil war between those opposed, and those in favour. Upon resignation, he founded the National Liberal Party, and became a leader of the Christian Maronite community. He emphasized the country's pluralism, and continued his resistance to pan-Arabism. His relationship with the Jumayyil brothers was uneasy, and their ascendancy pushed him increasingly to the sidelines. He was briefly a member of Jumayyil's coalition government of 1984.