The terms “civil servant” and “bureaucracy” have fashioned representations of the civil service since the late 19th century. Yet, it was not until 1946 that the first civil service regulations were passed and enforced. They institutionalised the figure of the civil servant based on a specific professional position revolving around rights and responsibilities. This article looks back over the two-pronged evolution of this regulatory model and the organisation of public action itself. An examination of the slow process of public administration feminisation at the end of this article opens up new angles with respect to the figure of the civil servant and the regulatory approach.