Doumer was born in Aurillac, in the Cantal d矇partement, 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 矇migr矇. 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.