Darcos was born on 14 July 1947 in
Limoges to Jean-Gabriel Darcos and Anne-Marie Banvillet. After getting a
PhD in
Latin studies from the
University of Bordeaux under the direction of
Jean-Pierre Néraudau and becoming a professor emeritus in letters and social sciences, he started teaching in 1968, first in
Périgueux, then in a Bordeaux
khâgne from 1982 to 1987, and finally at the
Lycée Louis-le-Grand, Paris from 1987 to 1992. In 1989 he became deputy to the Mayor of
Périgueux. Three years later, he became a senior school inspector. From 1993 to 1995 he was the chief of staff (
directeur de cabinet) to Education Minister
François Bayrou, from 1995 to 1997 advisor to Prime Minister
Alain Juppé for education and culture matters, and from 1995 to 1998, along with François Bayroux and
Claude Allègre, he was the president of school inspectors. From 1996 to 1999 he was also a Professor in
comparative literature at the
Paris IV University. In 1997 he became Mayor of
Périgueux, and was reelected both in 2001 and 2005. He was also elected Senator of
Dordogne in 1998. In May 2002, he became Minister for School Education in
Jean-Pierre Raffarin's cabinet, then on 1 April 2004 Minister for Cooperation, Development and Francophony. He has been a member of the
Aquitaine Regional Council since 2004. On 15 June 2005 he became a French ambassador for the
OCDE. In 2006, he was elected as member of the
Académie des sciences morales et politiques and was its
secrétaire perpétuel from 2010 until 2017. Since 18 May 2007, he has been the
Minister of National Education in
François Fillon's governments. In March 2008, he failed to be reelected as Mayor of Périgueux. In 2009, he condemned as "criminal" statements made by
Pope Benedict XVI which claimed that condoms promote
AIDS, when in fact they help protect against it. Darcos was elected as an
immortel of the
Académie Française on 13 June 2013. ==Political career==