Rene Monory, a self-made man proud of his climb from a first job as a rural garage owner to that of government minister and then president of the French Senate, has died at the age of 85, officials said on Saturday.

A fervent pro-European, Monory held three ministerial portfolios -- industry, economics and education. He was also a moving force behind the creation of the popular Futuroscope multimedia theme park near Poitiers in western France.

Colleagues regarded him as a fount of quiet common sense, while Monory described himself as a representative of middle-of-the-road rural France.

Armed only with a primary school diploma, he built up his father's garage in western France, before entering politics in 1959, when he was elected mayor of his home town, Loudon.

He was elected to the Senate in 1969 for the Centrist Union and first entered government under former centre-right President Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1977.

He gradually moved up the political hierarchy and was president of the Upper House (Senate) from 1992-1998 -- the second highest office in France.

"He was one of the first politicians to throw himself into the Internet revolution and was recognised as one of the pioneers of new technologies," President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a statement, hailing Monory's long political career.