Maurice Herzog was a French mountaineer best known for being part of the first expedition to climb Annapurna, in 1950, becoming the first group to summit an 8,000+ metre mountain. The feat was even more impressive as they did not use supplemental oxygen. He later wrote a best-selling book about the climb. The mountain would not be climbed again until 1970. Herzog became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1970 and remained a member for 25 years, before ascending to honorary membership. He also served as the French Minister of Youth and Sport from 1958-66, and was the mayor of the alpine town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (1968-77), site of the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Herzog was a Grand Officer of the Legion d’Honneur and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his military service from 1939-45. A graduate of the French business school, HEC Paris, he served on several company boards, notably as Chairman of Triton France and President of Spi Batignolles International.
France