Marthe Richard

Early life In Nancy, she became an apprentice to a tailor at fourteen, who worked at Les Halles.

In 1912, her husband bought himself a plane, and she flew it for the first time in 1913. However, the new record was approved. Richard joined the Aéroclub féminin la Stella, a women's flying club set up by Marie Surcouf in 1909. In 1914, she participated in the founding of L'Union patriotique des aviatrices françaises ("Patriotic Union of French Women Aviators"). As Secretary of the Union patriotique des aviatrices de France, alongside Carmen Damedoz, its treasurer, she demanded the right to contribute to the war effort as an aviator, although this was refused by the authorities.

Espionage Her husband died in World War I in 1916. She became a spy under Captain Georges Ladoux, thanks to her lover, a young Russian anarchist.

Political career In 1945, now famous as the "heroine of two wars", she was elected to the municipal council of the 4th arrondissement of Paris on the Christian-Democrat MRP ticket.

On 9 April 1946, Marcel Roclore, Minister of State, presented the Commission's report on the population and public health, and concluded that closing the brothels was a necessity.

On 13 April 1946, the prostitution registry was destroyed and 1,400 brothels were closed, including 180 in Paris. Many brothels were converted into hotels, which prostitutes continued to use. This ended the Regulation System. Prostitution was still legal, though many acts surrounding it were made illegal.

Nationality controversy A controversy surrounding her nationality came up in 1948. The inspector of national safety, Jacques Delarue, a specialist in false heroes of war, inquired into the accusations, and found them to be false in 1954. She was called La Veuve qui clôt ("The Widow who closes"), a pun by Antoine Blondin on the champagne Veuve Clicquot and "maisons closes" (shut or closed houses), another term for brothels.