Jean De Beaumont

De Beaumont was born in Paris into an aristocratic French family, the son of Count Marc Louis Bonnin de la Bonninière de Beaumont. His grandfathers were Marc Antoine de Beaumont and surgeon Baron Guillaume Dupuytren. He studied at the École des Roches and École Libre des Sciences Politiques.

De Beaumont was a versatile sportsman and sports official. In 1923, he reached the finals of the 110 metre hurdles at the World Student Games. At the 1924 Olympics, he finished 11th with the French team in the team clay pigeons competition. He served as president of the French Olympic Committee from 1967 to 1971, member of the International Olympic Committee from 1951 to 1971, and vice president of the IOC Executive Committee from 1970 to 1974.

De Beaumont started his business career as an assistant manager on rubber plantations in Indo-China. After returning to France he became president of several companies operating in the Far East and South Africa. Because of his business connections with Africa he was the first IOC Member to actively promote Olympic sports there. In France, de Beaumont served as a Member of Parliament in 1936–40, and fought as a pilot during World War II. On 10 July 1940, he voted in favour of granting the cabinet presided by Marshal Philippe Pétain authority to draw up a new constitution, thereby effectively ending the French Third Republic and establishing Vichy France.

De Beaumont married Paule de Rivaud de La Raffinière in 1928, by whom he had three children:

• Jacqueline, born in 1929; married vicomte Édouard de Ribes, later comte de Ribes.
• Monique, born in 1930
• Marc, born in 1934.