Maurice Lemaire was a French Gaullist politician, born on 25 May 1895 at Gerbépal in the Vosges region: he died in Paris on 29 January 1979. Lemaire’s background was as a railway engineer. He was the Director General of the SNCF following the liberation of France from German occupation. He was bald from an early age, and thereby acquired the nickname "Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou". Nationally he achieved ministerial office under three of the Fourth Republic prime ministers as follows: During his political career, Maurice Lemaire promoted the modernization of the tunnel which carries his name.