René Billères (29 August 1910 in Ger, Hautes-Pyrénées – 2 October 2004 in Lourdes, Hautes-Pyrénées) was a French politician. Billères served as a Radical deputy for the Hautes-Pyrénées from 1946 till 1973 and Senator for the same department from 1973 till 1983. He served as Minister of National Education in numerous Fourth Republic governments (Guy Mollet, Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury and Félix Gaillard). As Minister of National Education, he extended the years of compulsory schooling and played an instrumental role in increasing the ministry's budget. As President of the Radical Party from 1965 to 1969, he played an important role in the Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left. References 1910 births 2004 deaths People from Hautes-Pyrénées Politicians from Occitania (administrative region) Radical Party (France) politicians Radical Party of the Left politicians French Ministers of National Education Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French Senators of the Fifth Republic Senators of Hautes-Pyrénées French people of the Algerian War