Doumer was born in Aurillac; in the Cantal d閜artement; in France on 22 March 1857. He was Governor-General of French Indochina from 1897 to 1902. After returning from French Indochina; Doumer served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1902 to 1905.

He was elected President of the French Republic on 13 May 1931; defeating the better known Aristide Briand; and replacing Gaston Doumergue. On 6 May 1932; he was shot in Paris at the opening of a book fair by Paul Gorguloff; a mentally unstable Russian 閙igr? He died at 04:37 a.m. on 7 May.

The Long Bien Bridge in Hanoi was built during his term as Governor-General and was named for him. It became a well-known landmark and target for US pilots during the Second Indochina War.