Michel Poniatowski

Michel Poniatowski (16 May 1922 – 15 January 2002) was a French politician, member of a legitimized line of Poland's princely Poniatowski family. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Poniatowski served as Minister of Health from 1973 to 1974 and Minister of the Interior in the Giscard d'Estaing government from 1974 to 1977. He was a founder and honorary president of the Union for French Democracy (Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF). Poniatowski was the 7th great-grandson of Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski, older brother of Stanisław August Poniatowski, who reigned as king of Poland from 1764 to 1795. Kasimierz had a son, Stanisław Poniatowski 1754–1833, whose son, Giuseppe Luci (1816–1873), by his mistress Cassandra Luci, was recognized and ennobled in the Austrian Empire on 19 November 1850 as Joseph Michel, Prince Poniatowski, a name and title recognised by Napoleon III when Poniatowski was natura...