Read the Signs: Jaurès

Jaurès is one of the few above-ground metro stations in Paris, on lines 2, 5 and 7, in the 19th arrondissement. You will also find a Jean Jaurès metro station in Lyon, plus squares and schools dedicated to him in cities across France.

In Paris, the largest avenue in the 19th arrondissement bears his name. Just over 100 years ago, in November 1924, Jean Jaurès, professor of philosophy, founder of the Socialist Party and a major figure in the history of the Third Republic, entered the Panthéon, France’s altar to the heroes of the republic. Jaurès is a towering figure in French history, revered for his contributions to socialism, workers’ rights, and peace advocacy

As a political activist and editor of L’Humanité newspaper, he shaped leftist politics, with his eloquent speeches and writings on social justice continuing to inspire politicians to this day. Jaurès’s tireless efforts to prevent World War I through diplomacy made him a symbol of peace. On the evening of July 31, 1914, as he was dining at the Café du Croissant on Rue Montmartre, a French nationalist walked up to the restaurant window and fired two shots into Jaurès’s back, a death which further cemented his legacy.

From France Today Magazine