1909 - Central Le Lavandou	1960 – View from the port

The people of Le Lavandou demanded their independence from Bormes-les-Mimosas in 1907. After 4 years of sometimes difficult discussion, the State Council finally passed a law making Le Lavandou a town and the French President, Raymond Poincaré, signed the decree on May 25th 1913. Since then, several mayors have run the 2965 ha area. Le Lavandou has expanded from a hamlet with 974 fishermen to a sea resort with a population of 6047 which was home to the former French President’s summer residence in Cap Nègre. Le Lavandou has been part of the Mediterranean-Porte des Maures Interregional Council since 2013. Mayors of Lavandou since 1913 07/1913 to 03/1920 Doctor Paul Reynaud 03/1920 to 05/1925 Hotelier Célestin Carrere 05/1925 to 04/1926 Diplomat Maurice Rivaud 04/1926 to 05/1929 Hotelier Germain Fabre 05/1929 to 11/1938 Doctor Paul Daydé 11/1938 to 08/1944 Finance inspector Albert Bluzet 08/1944 to 10/1944 Tax inspector Ulysse Richard 11/1944 to 05/1945 Accountant Armand Bertora 05/1945 to 08/1955 Pharmacist Marius Dorie 09/1955 to 03/1959 Doctor Paul Daydé 03/1959 to 12/1971 Pharmacist Marius Dorie 03/1971 to 12/1975 Doctor Marc Legouhy 12/1975 to 01/1976 Teacher Georges Blanchard 02/1976 to 03/1977 Doctor Paul-Emile Duroux 03/1977 to 06/1995 Builder Louis Faedda 06/1995 to 04/2026 Writer Gil Bernardi Because of their skills and disinterest, many of La Lavandou’s mayors were given departmental or regional mandates as the role (unpaid) was voluntary and only for candidates free from want. Most of them were educated humanists who worked for the common good, without recognition, and very few of them were born in La Lavandou. Over the course of the mandates, the topography of the locations changed massively, especially in terms of accommodation which went from luxury villas to collective housing; from the public arena to private occupation of the coastline and the development of Le Lavandou port. Mass tourism opened the doors to developers signed off by magistrates who were constantly in search of new revenue streams.

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Marius Dorie was born in 1887 and died in Le Lavandou in 1982. He was an activist in the French Section of the Workers’ International, twice elected Mayor of Le Lavandou (1945-1955 and 1959-1971), General Councillor of the Var, member of the Rotary, epicurean, humanist and extensive traveller to whom we owe Le Lavandou’s coat of arms. He wrote several books including "Lettres du Japon - Voyage aux Indes" which was published in 1964 and one of the last copies was sold at auction in 2010 in Paris.