Strauss-Kahn, Dominique Gaston André [key], 1949–, French economist, lawyer, and politician , b. Neuilly, Ph.D. Univ. of Paris, 1975. A lecturer and economics professor at the Univ. of Paris in the 1970s and 80s, he was elected to the French National Assembly as a Socialist in 1986, became (1991) industry minister, and lost his assembly seat in 1993. In 1997 he again won an assembly seat. Becoming finance minister that year, he participated in the launch of the euro and oversaw a privatization program. Accused in a financial scandal, he resigned in 1999 but later was cleared by a French court. He taught (2000–2001) at the Institute of Political Studies, Paris, and from 2001 to 2007 again served in the National Assembly. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Socialist nomination for French president in 2006. In 2007 he was appointed managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). A skilled manager, he was a key player in efforts to deal with the international financial crisis of 2007–9. He also promoted changes in the IMF to help poorer countries and bring emerging non-Western market nations more power in the organization. In 2011, however, he was accused of rape in New York City, and resigned from the IMF. The charges were subsequently dismissed due to concerns about his accuser's credibility; a civil suit was settled in 2012. Strauss-Kahn was charged in France in 2012 with participating in a prostitution ring; he was acquitted in 2015.
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