BELGIUM
See also CITY OF BRUSSELS
BELGIAN PROVINCES
FLANDERS AND WALLONIA
MORESNET
ROMAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY IN BELGIUM 1871 - 1945
THE FORMER POSSESSIONS OF THE TEUTONIC ORDER IN BELGIUM.
BELGIAN OVERSEA DEPENDENCIES 1900 - 1945
KINGDOM OF BELGIUM
Although most of the feudal states existing on the territory of present-day Belgium
were united under one ruler since the end of the middle ages, the real unification
of what was to become Belgium only started in 1794, when the different states were
occupied by the French and integrated into the French Republic. (1)
French rule ended in 1814 and was followed by a brief period of Allied government
(1814 - 1815).
After some hesitation the region was thereafter united with the Principality of the
Netherlands to form the Kingdom of that name. (2)
Taking advantage of social unrest - and inspired by the July revolution in Paris -
opponents to Dutch rule revolted in Aug - Sep 1830. (3)
At first the insurgents only controlled Brussels, but supported by French volunteers
(Légion belge parisienne and others) they gradually extended their authority over
large parts of the Netherlands (4) and established the de facto independent state
of Belgium (5)
The independence of the new state - in the meanwhile proclaimed a Kingdom - was
eventually recognized by the Netherlands in 1839 by the Treaties of London. (6)
Belgium was twice occupied by the Germans : partly in 1914 - 1918 and completely in
1940 - 1944.
__________________________________________________________________________________
HEADS OF STATE
Kings
Koningen
Rois
Full Style Koningen der Belgen
Rois des Belges
Kings of the Belgians
House of Saxe-Coburg et Gotha/Saksen-Coburg en Gotha (House of Wettin - Ernestine
Line - Branch of Gotha - Subbranch of Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha)
(ruled since 1831)
1865 - 1909 Léopold/Leopold II (Léopold Louis
Philippe Marie Victor), Duc de Saxe,
Prince de Saxe-Coburg-Gotha et
Souverain de l'État indépendant du
Congo (Congo Free State - from 1885
to 1908) 1835 - 1909
1909 interregnum
Acting Head of State (7)
1909 The Cabinet with Frans
Victor Marie Ghislain
Schollaert (s.b.) as
Cabinet Chief
1909 - 1934 Albert I (Albert Léopold Clément
Marie Meinrad), nephew of Leopold II,
ruled only part of the country Aug
1914 - Nov 1918 (8), 1875 - 1934
1934 interregnum
Acting Head of State
1934 The Council of Ministers
headed by Charles Marie
Pierre Albert, Comte de
Broqueville (s.b.)
1934 - 1951 Léopold/Leopold III (Léopold Philippe
Charles Albert Meinrad Hubert Marie
Miguel), son, confined to his palace in
Brussels until 1944 during the German
occupation, then moved to Germany,
continued in exile after the end of the
War (9) 1901 - 1983
Regent after the Liberation, during the absence of the King
1944 - 1950 LtGen. Karel/Charles (Charles
Théodore Henri Antoine
Meinrad), Prins van België
en Graaf van Vlaanderen/
Prince de Belgique et Comte
de Flandre, brother 1903 - 1983
(7) Unlike it is the case in most other monarchies, there is no automatic
succession at the death of a king. His forseen successor - in this period
usually his oldest surviving son - only became king after he had taken the
oath on the constitution.
(8) It's incorrect to list him "in exile" as most sites or books do (only the
Belgian Government was in exile).
He remained in the non-occupied part of Belgium, formally to give command
and moral support to his troops, but most probably more realistically to
prevent that the absence of a high Belgian official would give the other
countries an excuse to dismantle Belgium during negociations.
The non-occupied areas were :
- the western part of the Province of West-Vlaanderen
- the Belgian exclaves of Baarle-Hertog in the Netherlands
Civilian authority in these territories was exercised by :
- Léon Janssens de Bisthoven (1859 - 1938), former Governor of the whole
Province of West-Vlaanderen
- Hendrik van Gilse (1862 - 1933), Mayor of Baarle-Hertog.
As to the death of the King :
- according to the official historiography he died in a mountain-climbing
accident
- recent research does however no longer exclude the possibility of his
assassination for personal or political reasons. (One of the arguments
is that his experience in climbing was so great that he couldn't have
had an accident at the place where it was said to have occured)
(9) Like his father, Leopold III chose to remain in Belgium. Formally to share
the fate of the Belgian army and population, but like for his father the
real reasons were more realistic and had to do with possible negociations
with the Germans about the future of Belgium in the New Europe.
This attitude, as well as some other of his acts - his refusal to follow
the Belgian government into exile, his second wedding (with a member of
the Flemish bourgeoisie and not with someone of the Francophone or foreign
nobility) during the troubled war years, etc. - were never forgiven to him
by part of the population, especially not by part of the Francophones and
of the left (possibly hoping to take advantage of the situation to end the
monarchy and to establish some kind of Socialist republic).
To avoid such evolution the King (forcebly of freely ?) remained in exile
after 1944.
__________________________________________________________________________________
MINISTERS
Prime Ministers
Cabinet Chiefs
Chefs de Cabinet
(The Cabinet Chief chaired the meetings of the Council of Ministers in the absence
of the King)
1870 - 1871 Jules Joseph, Baron d'Anethan,
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1803 - 1888
1871 - 1878 Jules Édouard François Xavier Malou,
Minister of Finances 1810 - 1886
1878 - 1884 Hubert Joseph Walthère Frère "Frère-
Orban", Minister of Foreign Affairs
(2x) 1812 - 1895
1884 Jules Édouard François Xavier Malou,
Minister of Finances (2x)
1884 - 1894 Auguste Marie François Beernaert,
Minister of Finances 1829 - 1912
1894 - 1896 Jules Philippe Marie de Burlet,
Minister of the Interior (until 1895),
Minister of Foreign Affairs (since
1895) 1844 - 1897
1896 - 1899 Paul Joseph de Smet de Nayer, Minister
of Finances 1843 - 1913
1899 Jules (Julius) Pierre Henri
François Xavier Vandenpeereboom,
Minister of Railways, Posts and
Telegraphs 1843 - 1917
1899 - 1907 Paul Joseph, Comte (1900) de Smet
de Nayer, Minister of Finances (2x)
1907 Jonkheer Julius Hendrik Maria Gislenus
de Trooz, Minister of the Interior 1857 - 1907
1907 - 1908 none
1908 - 1911 Frans Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert,
Minister of the Interior (until 1910),
Minister of Agriculture (1908 - 1910),
Minister of Arts and Sciences (since
1910) 1851 - 1917
1911 - 1918 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville, Minister of Railways, Posts
and Telegraphs (until 1912), Minister of
War (1912 - 1917), Minister of Foreign
Affairs (1917 - 1918), Minister of
National Reconstruction (1918), in exile
1914 - 1918 1860 - 1940
1918 Gérard François Marie Cooreman,
Minister of Econimic Affairs, in exile 1852 - 1926
Prime ministers
Eerste Ministers
Premiers Ministres
1918 - 1920 Léon Frédéric Gustave Delacroix 1867 - 1929
1920 - 1921 Henri Victor Marie Ghislain
Carton de Wiart 1869 - 1951
1921 - 1925 Georges Theunis 1873 - 1944
1925 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere 1871 - 1961
1925 - 1926 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph,
Burggraaf (1925) Poullet 1868 - 1937
1926 - 1931 Henri Jaspar 1870 - 1939
1931 - 1932 Jules Renkin 1862 - 1934
1932 - 1934 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Comte de
Broqueville s.a.
1934 - 1935 Georges Theunis (2x)
1935 - 1937 Paul van Zeeland 1893 - 1973
1937 - 1938 Paul-Émile Janson 1872 - 1944
1938 - 1939 Paul-Henri Spaak 1899 - 1972
1939 - 1945 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot,
in exile 1940 - 1944, also Minister
of Public Instruction and of National
Defence in exile 1940 - 1944 1883 - 1963
1945 - 1946 Achille van Acker, also Minister of
Coal 1898 - 1975
Vice Prime Minister
(Vice-Eerste Minister
Vice-Premier Ministre)
1939 - 1940 Hendrik de Man 1885 - 1953
Ministers in charge of Information and Propaganda
Ministers of National Information
Ministers van Nationale Voorlichting
Ministres de l'Information nationale
1939 - 1940 Arthur Alexis Joseph Wauters 1890 - 1960
1940 - 1942 none
1942 - 1944 Antoine Louis Philippe Ghislain Delfosse,
in exile, also Minister of Justice 1895 -
1944 - 1945 none
1945 Edmond Emmanuel Paul Ronse 1889 - 1960
Minister of Information and Propaganda
Minister van Informatie en Propaganda
Ministre de l'Information et de la Propagande
1940 - 1944 Paul-Henri Spaak, also Minister of
Foreign Affairs, in exile s.a.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken
Ministres des Affaires étrangères
1870 - 1871 Jules Joseph, Baron d'Anethan s.a.
1871 - 1878 Guillaume Bernard Ferdinand Charles,
Comte d'Aspremont-Lynden "d'Aspremont-
Lynden de Barvaux d'Haltinne" 1815 - 1889
1878 - 1884 Hubert Joseph Walthère Frère "Frère-
Orban" s.a.
1884 Adolphe Marie Joseph Ghislain, Baron
de Moreau "de Moreau d'Andoy" 1840 - 1911
1884 - 1892 Marie Guy Henri Philippe Joseph
de Riquet, Prince de Caraman et de
Chimay 1836 - 1892
1892 Auguste Marie François Beernaert* s.a.
1892 - 1895 Henri Marie Ghislain, Comte de Mérode,
Marquis de Westerloo, Prince de Rubempré
et Grimberghe 1856 - 1908
1895 - 1896 Jules Philippe Marie de Burlet s.a.
1896 LtGen. Jacques Joseph Brassine* 1830 - 1899
1896 - 1907 Paul Louis Célestin de Favereau 1856 - 1922
1907 - 1916 Jules Davignon, in exile since 1914 1854 - 1916
1916 - 1917 Eugène Beyens, in exile 1855 - 1934
1917 - 1918 Charles Marie Pierre Albert,
Baron de Broqueville, in exile s.a.
1918 - 1920 Paul Hymans 1865 - 1941
1920 Léon Frédéric Gustave Delacroix* s.a.
1920 - 1924 Henri Jaspar s.a.
1924 - 1925 Paul Hymans (2x)
1925 Albert Emmanuel Henri Marie Ghislain,
Baron Ruzette* 1866 - 1929
1925 - 1927 Émile Vandervelde 1866 - 1938
1927 - 1934 Paul Hymans (3x)
1934 Henri Jaspar (2x)
1934 - 1935 Paul Hymans (3x)
1935 - 1936 Paul van Zeeland s.a.
1936 - 1939 Paul-Henri Spaak s.a.
1939 Paul-Émile Janson s.a.
1939 Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan 1880 - 1960
1939 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot s.a.
1939 - 1949 Paul-Henri Spaak (2x), in exile
and also Minister of Information
and Propaganda 1940 - 1944 s.a.
Ministers of Defence
Ministers of War
Ministers van Oorlog
Ministres de la Guerre
1870 - 1872 LtGen. Henri Louis Gustave,
Baron Guillaume 1812 - 1877
1872 Guillaume Bernard Ferdinand Charles,
Comte d'Aspremont-Lynden "d'Aspremont-
Lynden de Barvaux d'Haltinne"* s.a.
1872 - 1873 Jules Édouard François Xavier Malou* s.a.
1873 - 1878 LtGen. Séraphin François Thiebauldt 1811 - 1879
1878 - 1879 LtGen. Bruno Jean-Baptiste Joseph
Renard (2x) 1804 - 1879
1879 - 1880 LtGen. Jean-Baptiste Joseph Liagre 1805 - 1891
1880 Pierre Édouard van Humbeeck* 1829 - 1890
1880 - 1884 MajGen. Guillaume Alexandre Auguste Gratry 1822 - 1885
1884 - 1893 LtGen. Charles Pontus 1829 - 1907
1893 - 1896 LtGen. Jacques Joseph Brassine s.a.
1896 - 1899 Jules (Julius) Pierre Henri
François Xavier Vandenpeereboom* s.a.
1899 - 1907 LtGen. Alexandre Cousebant d'Alkemade 1840 - 1922
1907 - 1912 LtGen. Joseph Marie Jacques Hellebaut 1842 - 1924
1912 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville* s.a.
1912 LtGen. Auguste Édouard, Baron Michel
du Faing d'Aigremont 1855 - 1931
1912 - 1917 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville (2x), in exile since 1914
1917 - 1918 LtGen. Armand Léopold Théodore
de Ceuninck, in exile 1858 - 1935
1918 - 1920 Fulgence Paul Benoît Masson 1854 - 1942
Minister of Civil and Military Intendance
Minister van Burgerlijke en Militaire Intendantie
Ministre de l'Intendance civile et militaire
1917 - 1918 Émile Vandervelde, in exile s.a.
Ministers of National Defence
Ministers van Landsverdediging
Ministres de la Défense nationale
1920 Paul-Émile Janson s.a.
1920 - 1923 Albert Joseph Charles Devèze 1881 - 1939
1923 - 1925 Pierre Jean Joseph Forthomme 1877 - 1959
1925 LtGen. Albert J. J. Hellebaut 1868 - 1951
1925 - 1926 LtGen. Prosper Jean Marie Kestens 1867 - 1945
1926 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph,
Burggraaf Poullet* s.a.
1926 - 1931 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Comte de
Broqueville s.a.
1931 - 1932 Léon Pierre Alphonse Dens 1869 - 1940
1932 Paul Gustave Corneille Crokaert 1875 - 1955
1932 Georges Theunis s.a.
1932 - 1936 Albert Joseph Charles Devèze (2x)
1936 - 1940 LtGen. Henri J. Ch. P. Denis 1877 - 1957
1940 - 1944 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot, in
exile, also Prime Minister s.a.
Under Secretaries of State of Defence
(Onderstaatssecretarissen van Defensie
Sous-Secrétaires d'État de la Défense)
1942 Henri Marthe Sylvie Rolin,
in exile 1891 - 1973
1942 - 1944 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond
Tschoffen, in exile until
1944, then also Belgian
Representative to the
SHAEF Mission to Belgium 1878 - 1961
1944 - 1945 Fernand Demets 1886 - 1952
1945 - 1946 Léon Henri Mundeleer 1885 - 1964
Ministers of the Interior
Ministers van Binnenlandse Zaken
Ministres de l'Intérieur
[(PI) = Ministers of the Interior and of Public Instruction
(Ministers van Binnenlandse Zaken en Openbaar Onderwijs - Ministres de l'Intérieur
et de l'Instruction publique) 1884 - 1907]
[(H) = Ministers of the Interior and of Hygiene (Ministers van Binnenlandse Zaken
en Hygiëne - Ministres de l'Intérieur et de l'Hygiène) 1921 - 1932]
1870 - 1871 Joseph Bruno Marie Constantin,
Baron Kervyn de Lettenhove 1817 - 1891
1871 - 1878 Jean-Baptiste Charles Guillaume Delcour 1811 - 1889
1878 - 1884 Gustave Henri Ange Hyppolite Rolin "Rolin-
Jacquemyns" 1835 - 1902
1884 Philippe Marie Victor Jacobs (PI) 1838 - 1891
1884 - 1887 Johan Joseph Thonissen (PI) 1816 - 1891
1887 - 1890 Joseph Emmanuel Devolder (PI) 1842 - 1919
1890 - 1891 Ernest Alexandre Mélot (PI) 1840 - 1910
1891 - 1895 Jules Philippe Marie de Burlet (PI) s.a.
1895 - 1899 Frans Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert (PI) s.a.
1899 - 1907 Jonkheer Julius Hendrik Maria Gislenus
de Trooz (PI until the creation of the
Ministry of Arts and Sciences in 1907) s.a.
1908 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert* 1848 - 1930
1908 - 1910 Frans Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert (2x)
1910 - 1918 Paul Marie Clément Charles Berryer,
in exile 1914 - 1918 1868 - 1936
1918 - 1919 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville s.a.
1919 - 1920 Jules Renkin s.a.
1920 Henri Jaspar s.a.
1920 - 1921 Henri Victor Marie Ghislain
Carton de Wiart s.a.
1921 - 1925 Paul Marie Clément Charles, Vicomte
Berryer (2x) (H)
1925 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph Poullet (H) s.a.
1925 - 1926 Édouard Rolin-Jacquemyns (H) 1863 - 1936
1926 - 1927 Henri Jaspar (2x) (H)
1927 Maurice Vauthier (H) 1860 - 1931
1927 - 1929 Albert Carnoy (H) 1878 -
1929 - 1931 Hendrik Louis Baels (H) 1878 - 1951
1931 Henri Jaspar (3x) (H)
1931 - 1932 Jules Renkin (2x) (H)
1932 Henri Joseph Georges Carton de Tournai 1878 - 1969
1932 - 1934 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph Poullet,
Burggraaf Poullet (2x)
1934 - 1935 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot s.a.
1935 - 1936 Paul Marie Léon Charles, Vicomte du
Bus de Warnaffe 1894 - 1965
1936 - 1937 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver 1898 - 1991
1937 - 1938 Octaaf Victor Dierckx 1882 - 1955
1938 - 1939 Jules Joseph Merlot 1885 - 1959
1939 Willem Eekelers 1883 - 1954
1939 - 1940 Albert Joseph Charles Devèze s.a.
1940 Pieter Frans Arthur Vanderpoorten 1884 - 1945
1940 - 1943 none (period of exile)
1943 - 1944 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver (2x),
also Minister of Agriculture, in exile
1944 - 1945 Edmond Emmanuel Paul Ronse s.a.
1945 - 1946 Gustaaf Adolf van Glabbeke 1904 - 1959
Ministers of Justice
Ministers van Justitie
Ministres de la Justice
1870 - 1871 Marie Henri Laurent Prosper Cornesse 1829 - 1889
1871 - 1878 Théophile Charles André,
Vicomte de Lantsheere 1833 - 1918
1878 - 1884 Jules Marcel Lamorald Bara (2x) 1835 - 1900
1884 Charles Frédéric Auguste, Comte Woeste 1837 - 1922
1884 - 1887 Joseph Emmanuel Devolder s.a.
1887 - 1894 Jules Ange Ladislas Le Jeune 1828 - 1911
1894 - 1899 Victor Charles Marie Begerem 1853 - 1934
1899 - 1907 Jules van den Heuvel 1854 - 1926
1907 - 1908 Jules Renkin s.a.
1908 - 1911 Léon Joseph Marie Antoine de Lantsheere 1862 - 1912
1911 - 1918 Henry Victor Marie Ghislain Carton
de Wiart, in exile since 1914 s.a.
1918 - 1921 Émile Vandervelde s.a.
1921 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere* s.a.
1921 - 1925 Fulgence Paul Benoît Masson s.a.
1925 Louis Léon Theodor 1853 - 1934
1925 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen s.a.
1925 - 1926 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph,
Burggraaf Poullet s.a.
1926 - 1927 Paul Hymans s.a.
1927 - 1931 Paul-Émile Janson s.a.
1931 - 1932 Alphonse Lambert Joseph Fernand Cocq 1861 - 1940
1932 - 1934 Paul-Émile Janson (2x)
1934 - 1935 François Louis Charles Marie Bovesse 1890 - 1944
1935 - 1936 Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan s.a.
1936 - 1937 François Louis Charles Marie Bovesse (2x)
1937 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot* s.a.
1937 Victor Auguste de Laveleye 1894 - 1945
1937 Victor Eugène Ange Jules Maistriau 1870 - 1962
1937 - 1938 Paul Marie Léon Charles, Vicomte du
Bus de Warnaffe s.a.
1938 - 1939 Clovis Léon Marie Emmanuel Joseph Phollien 1884 - 1968
1939 Josse Émile Van Dievoet 1886 - 1976
1939 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver s.a.
1939 Paul-Émile Janson s.a.
1939 - 1940 Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan (2x)
1940 Paul-Émile Janson, also briefly in exile (2x)
1940 - 1942 Jozef Albert de Vleeschauwer, in exile,
also Minister of Colonies in exile
1940 - 1944 1897 - 1971
1942 - 1944 Antoine Louis Philippe Ghislain Delfosse,
also Minister of National Information, in
exile s.a.
1944 - 1945 Maurice François Prudent Verbaet 1882 - 1957
1945 Paul Marie Léon Charles, Vicomte du
Bus de Warnaffe (2x)
Ministers of Finances
Ministers van Financiën
Ministres des Finances
1870 - 1871 Philippe Marie Victor Jacobs s.a.
1871 - 1878 Jules Édouard François Xavier Malou s.a.
1878 - 1884 Charles Alexandre Louis Graux 1837 - 1910
1884 Jules Édouard François Xavier Malou (2x)
1884 - 1894 Auguste Marie François Beernaert s.a.
1894 - 1899 Paul Joseph de Smet de Nayer s.a.
1899 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert s.a.
1899 - 1907 Paul Joseph, Comte (1900) de Smet de
Nayer (2x)
1907 - 1911 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert (2x)
1911 - 1914 Édouard Michel Levie 1851 - 1939
1914 - 1918 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere,
in exile s.a.
1918 - 1920 Léon Frédéric Gustave Delacroix s.a.
1920 - 1925 Georges Theunis s.a.
1925 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere (2x)
1925 - 1926 Albert Édouard Janssen 1883 - 1966
1926 - 1932 Maurice Jules Marie Emmanuel Eleuthère,
Baron Houtart 1866 - 1939
1932 Jules Renkin s.a.
1932 - 1934 Henri Jaspar s.a.
1934 Gustave Charles Sap 1886 - 1940
1934 - 1935 Camille Gutt 1884 - 1971
1935 - 1936 Max Léon Gérard 1879 - 1955
1936 - 1938 Hendrik de Man s.a.
1938 Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan s.a.
1938 Max Léon Gérard (2x)
1938 - 1939 Albert Édouard Janssen (2x)
1939 - 1945 Camille Gutt (2x), in exile 1940 - 1944,
also Minister of Economic Affairs in exile
1945 Gaston Eyskens 1905 - 1988
Ministers in charge of Economic and Social Affairs
Ministers of Economic Affairs
Ministers van Economische Zaken
Ministres des Affaires économiques
1917 - 1918 Paul Hymans, in exile s.a.
1918 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph Poullet,
in exile s.a.
1918 Gérard François Marie Cooreman, in exile s.a.
1918 - 1920 Henri Jaspar s.a.
1920 Fernand Léon Sidoine Marie José,
Baron de Wouters d'Oplinter 1868 - 1942
1920 - 1924 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere s.a.
1924 - 1925 Romain Jean Marie Moyersoen 1870 - 1967
1925 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph,
Burggraaf Poullet(2x)
1925 - 1926 Pierre Charles Marie Joseph,
Comte de Liedekerke de Pailhe 1869 - 1943
1926 : Ministry abolished
1934 : Ministry restored
Ministers of Economic Affairs
Ministers van Economische Zaken
Ministres des Affaires économiques
[(M) = Ministers of Economic Affairs and the Middle Classes (Ministers van
Economische Zaken en Middenstand - Ministres des Affaires économiqiues et des
Classes moyennes) 1937 - 1945]
1934 Jan Frans van Cauwelaert 1880 - 1961
1934 - 1938 Philippe Joseph Aimé van Isacker (M,
since 1937) 1884 - 1951
1938 Pierre Henri de Smet (M) 1892 -
1938 - 1939 Henri Constantin Joseph Heymans (M),
also Minister of Agriculture 1879 - 1958
1939 Georges Barnich (M) 1876 - 1948
1939 Raoul Eugène Guillaume Richard (M) 1885 - 1962
1939 - 1940 Gustave Charles Sap (M) s.a.
1940 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver (M) s.a.
1940 - 1944 Camille Gutt, in exile (M), also
Minister of Finances in exile s.a.
1944 - 1945 Jules Emile Delruelle (M) 1900 -
1945 - 1946 Albert De Smaele 1901 -
Ministers in charge of Public Works and Agriculture
(Also of Communications until 1884 and of Industry and Labour until 1895)
1837 : The economic administrations of the Ministry of the Interior (Agriculture,
Industry, Mines, Posts, Railways, etc) were combined to form a new Ministry
of Public Works.
Ministers of Public Works
(Ministers van Openbare Werken
Ministres des Travaux publics)
1870 - 1871 Armand Xavier Henri Ghislain Wasseige 1812 - 1882
1871 - 1873 François Désiré Victor Moncheur 1806 - 1890
1873 - 1878 Auguste Marie François Beernaert s.a.
1878 - 1882 Charles Xavier Sainctelette 1825 - 1898
1882 Gustave Henri Ange Hyppolite Rolin "Rolin-
Jacquemyns"* s.a.
1882 - 1884 Xavier Victor Olin 1836 - 1899
1884 : The Ministry of Public Works was divided into :
- the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Public Works
- the Ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs.
Ministers of Agriculture, Industry and Public Works
(Ministers van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Openbare Werken
Ministres de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie et des Travaux publics)
1884 Auguste Marie François Beernaert,
also in charge of Fine Arts,
Sciences and Literatire s.a.
1884 - 1888 Adolphe Marie Joseph Ghislain, Baron
de Moreau "de Moreau d'Andoy", also
in charge of Fine Arts, Sciences and
Literature s.a.
1888 - 1894 Léon de Bruyn 1838 - 1908
1894 : After the creation of an administration of Labour, the Ministry was renamed.
Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Labour and Public Works
(Minister van Landbouw, Nijverheid, Arbeid en Openbare Werken
Ministre de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie, du Travail et des Travaux Publics)
1894 - 1895 Léon de Bruyn s.a.
1895 : Ministry divided into :
- the Ministry of Agriculture and Public Works
- the Ministry of Industry and Labour.
Minister of Agriculture and Public Works
(Minister van Landbouw en Openbare Werken
Ministre de l'Agriculture et des Travaux publics)
1895 - 1899 Léon de Bruyn, also in charge of
Fine Arts since 1896 s.a.
1899 : Ministry of Agriculture and Public Works divided into :
- the Ministry of Agriculture
- the Ministry of Public Works
In the course of the following years they would however be reunited several
times (until 1929).
Ministers of Agriculture
(Ministers van Landbouw
Ministres de l'Agriculture)
1899 - 1907 Maurice Louis Marie van der Bruggen,
also in charge of Fine Arts 1852 - 1919
1907 - 1908 Georges Auguste Helleputte* 1852 - 1925
1908 - 1910 Frans Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert s.a.
1910 - 1911 Georges Auguste Helleputte (2x)
Ministers of Public Works
(Ministers van Openbare Werken
Ministres des Travaux Publics)
1899 - 1900 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert s.a.
1900 - 1907 Paul Joseph, Comte (1900) de Smet de Nayer s.a.
1907 - 1910 Auguste Charles Delbeke 1853 - 1921
1910 - 1911 Georges Auguste Helleputte s.a.
Ministers of Agriculture and Public Works
(Ministers van Landbouw en Openbare Werken
Ministres de l'Agriculture et des Travaux publics)
1911 - 1912 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere s.a.
1912 - 1918 Georges Auguste Helleputte, in exile
since 1914 s.a.
Minister of Agriculture
(Minister van Landbouw
Ministre de l'Agriculture)
1918 - 1921 Albert Emmanuel Henri Marie Ghislain,
Baron Ruzette s.a.
Ministers of Public Works
(Ministers van Openbare Werken
Ministres des Travaux publics)
1918 - 1921 Edward Anseele 1856 - 1938
1921 Albert Emmanuel Henri Marie Ghislain,
Baron Ruzette* s.a.
Minister of Agriculture and Public Works
(Minister van Landbouw en Openbare Werken
Ministre de l'Agriculture et des Travaux publics)
1921 - 1925 Albert Emmanuel Henri Marie Ghislain,
Baron Ruzette s.a.
Ministers of Agriculture
(Ministers van Landbouw
Ministres de l'Agriculture
1925 - 1926 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef, Burggraaf
vande Vijvere s.a.
1926 Pierre Charles Marie Joseph,
Comte de Liedekerke de Pailhe s.a.
Minister of Public Works
(Minister van Openbare Werken
Ministre des Travaux publics)
1925 - 1926 Alfred Joseph Laboulle 1865 - 1947
Minister of Agriculture and Public Works
(Minister van Landbouw en Openbare Werken
Ministre de l'Agriculture et des Travaux publics)
1926 - 1929 Hendrik Louis Baels s.a.
Ministers of Agriculture
(Ministers van Landbouw
Ministres de l'Agriculture)
[(M) = Ministers of Agriculture and the Middle Classes (Ministers van Landbouw en
Middenstand - Ministres de l'Agriculture et des Calsses moyennes) 1932 - 1934]
1929 - 1931 Hendrik Louis Baels s.a.
1931 - 1932 Josse Émile Van Dievoet s.a.
1932 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Comte de
Broqueville (M) s.a.
1932 - 1934 Gustave Charles Sap (M) s.a.
1934 - 1935 Jan Frans van Cauwelaert s.a.
1935 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot* s.a.
1935 - 1936 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver s.a.
1936 - 1938 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (2x)
1938 - 1939 Henri Constantin Joseph Heymans,
also Minister of Economic Affairs
and Middle Classes s.a.
1939 Charles Albert Ferdinand Gobert,
Comte d'Aspremont-Lynden 1888 - 1967
1939 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (3x)
1939 - 1940 Charles Albert Ferdinand Gobert,
Comte d'Aspremont-Lynden (2x)
1940 - 1943 none (period of exile)
1943 - 1944 August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver,
also Minister of the Interior, in exile s.a.
1944 - 1945 Henri Marie Joseph Adhémar, Comte
de la Barre d'Erquelinnes 1885 - 1961
1945 Louis Delvaux
Ministers of Public Works
(Ministers van Openbare Werken
Ministres des Travaux publics)
[(R) = Ministers of Public Works and of Resorption of Unemployment - Ministers van
Openbare Werken en van Opslorping van de Werkeloosheid - Ministres des Travaux
publics et de la Résorption du Chômage) 1935 - 1937, 1938 - 1939 and 1939]
1929 - 1932 Jules Antoine Corneille Van Caenegem 1880 - 1942
1932 - 1934 Gustave Charles Sap s.a.
1934 Pierre Jean Joseph Forthomme s.a.
1934 - 1935 Jan Frans van Cauwelaert s.a.
1935 Philippe Joseph Aimé van Isacker s.a.
1935 - 1936 Hendrik de Man (R) s.a.
1936 - 1938 Jules Joseph Merlot (R until 1937) s.a.
1938 - 1939 August Jozef Balthazar (R) 1893 - 1952
1939 Hendrik Frans Clément Marck,
also Minister of Transports 1883 - 1957
1939 - 1940 Pieter Frans Arthur Vanderpoorten (R) s.a.
1940 Léon Jacques Louis Matagne 1880 - 1951
1940 - 1943 none (period of exile)
1943 - 1944 August Jozef Balthazar, also Minister
of Communications, in exile (2x)
1944 - 1946 Herman Gustaaf Vos 1889 - 1952
Ministers in charge of Industry, Labour and Social Security
Ministers of Industry and Labour
(Ministers van Nijverheid en Arbeid
Ministres de l'Industrie et du Travail)
[(S) = Ministers of Industry, Labour and Supply (Ministers van Nijverheid, Arbeid
en Bevoorraading - Ministres de l'Industrie, du Travail et du Ravitaillement) 1918
- 1921]
1895 - 1899 Albert Jean Gerard Nyssens 1855 - 1901
1899 Gérard François Marie Cooreman s.a.
1899 - 1900 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert s.a.
1900 - 1902 Arthur Henri Marie Ghislain,
Comte Surmont de Volsberghe 1837 - 1906
1902 - 1907 Marie Clément Gustave Francotte 1852 - 1925
1907 - 1918 Armand Marie Joseph Théodore Hubert,
in exile 1914 - 1918 1857 - 1940
1918 - 1921 Charles Henri Joseph Wauters (S) 1842 - 1929
1921 Ernest Aimé Joseph Mahaim (S) 1865 - 1938
1921 - 1924 Romain Jean Marie Moyersoen s.a.
1924 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen s.a.
1924 : Ministry reorganized and renamed.
Ministers of Industry, Labour and Social Security
(Ministers van Nijverheid, Arbeid en Sociale Zekerheid
Ministres de l'Industrie, du Travail et de la Prévoyance sociale)
1924 - 1925 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen s.a.
1925 - 1927 Charles Henri Joseph Wauters s.a.
1927 - 1932 Henri Constantin Joseph Heymans s.a.
1932 : Ministry renamed after the transfer of Social Security to the new ministry
of Social Security and Hygiene.
Minister of Industry and Labour
(Minister van Nijverheid en Arbeid
Ministre de l'Industrie et du Travail)
1932 - 1934 Philippe Joseph Aimé van Isacker s.a.
1934 : The Ministry of Industry and Labour abolished and replaced by :
- the Ministry of Industry, Middle Classes and Internal Trade, which later
in the same year became the reconstructed Ministry of Economic Affairs.
(s.a.)
- the Ministry of Labour and Social Security
Minister of Industry, Middle Classes and Internal Trade
(Minister van Nijverheid, Middenstand en Binnenlandse Handel
Ministre de l'Industrie, des Classes moyennes et du Commerce intérieur)
1934 Jan Frans van Cauwelaert s.a.
Ministers of Labour and Social Security
(Ministers van Arbeid en Sociale Voorzorg
Ministres du Travail et de la Prévoyance sociale)
1934 Philippe Joseph Aimé van Isacker s.a.
1934 - 1935 Edmond Maria Rubbens 1894 - 1938
1935 - 1939 Achille Delattre 1879 - 1964
1939 Arthur Alexis Joseph Wauters s.a.
1939 Antoine Louis Philippe Ghislain Delfosse s.a.
1939 - 1940 August Jozef Balthazar s.a.
1940 - 1944 none (period of exile)
Under Secretaries of State of Refugees, Labour and Social Security
(Onderstaatssecretarissen voor Vluchtelingen, Arbeid en Sociale
Voorzorg
Sous-Secrétaires d'État des Refugiés, du Travail et de la Sécurité
sociale)
1942 - 1943 Jean Georges Gustave
Thomas Joassart 1880 - 1953
1943 - 1944 Henri Joseph Bondas 1881 - 1957
1944 - 1945 Achille van Acker s.a.
1945 Léon-Éli Jean Jacques Troclet 1902 - 1980
Ministers in charge of Transport and Communications
1837 - 1884 The Ministers of Public Works (in charge) s.a.
1884 : The transport and communication administrations were united to form the new
ministry of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs.
Ministers of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs
(Ministers van Spoorwegen, Posterijen en Telegrafie
Ministres des Chemins de Fer, des Postes et des Télégraphes)
1884 - 1899 Jules (Julius) Pierre Henri
François Xavier Vandenpeereboom s.a.
1899 - 1907 Jules Auguste Marie Joseph Liebaert s.a.
1907 - 1910 Georges Auguste Helleputte s.a.
1910 - 1912 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville s.a.
1912 : The Ministry was divided into :
- the Ministry of Railways
- the Ministry of Marine, Posts and Telegraphs.
In the course of the following years the ministries were however reunited
and/or renamed several times, until 1938 when they were definitively united
into one ministry.
Minister of Railways
(Minister van Spoorwegen
Ministre des Chemins de Fer)
1912 - 1914 Aloys Joannes Maria Jozef vande Vyvere s.a.
Minister of Marine, Posts and Telegraphs
(Minister van Marine, Posterijen en Telegrafie
Ministre de la Marine, des Postes et des Télégraphes)
1912 - 1914 Paul Antoine Marie Norbert Segers 1870 - 1946
Ministers of Railways, Marine, Posts and Telegraphs
(Ministers van Spoorwegen, Merine, Posterijen en Telegrafie
Ministres des Chemins de Fer, de la Marine, des Postes et des Télégraphes)
1914 - 1918 Paul Antoine Marie Norbert Segers,
in exile since 1914 s.a.
1918 - 1919 Jules Renkin s.a.
1919 - 1920 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph Poullet s.a.
1920 - 1925 Grégoire Lambert François Xavier Neujean 1865 - 1940
1925 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen* s.a.
Ministers of Railways, Marine, Aeronautics, Posts and Telegraphs
(Ministers van Spoorwgen, Marine, Luchtvaart, Posterijen en Telegrafie
Ministres des Chemins de Fer, de la Marine, de l'Aviation, des Postes et Télégraphes)
(10)
1925 - 1927 Edward Anseele s.a.
1927 - 1929 Maurice Auguste Eugène Charles,
Comte Lippens 1875 - 1956
Minister of Railways, Marine and Aeronautics
(Minister van Spoorwegen, Marine en Luchtvaart
Ministre des Chemins de Fer, de la Marine et l'Aviation)
1929 - 1931 Maurice Auguste Eugène Charles,
Comte Lippens s.a.
Ministers of Transports
(Ministers van Vervoer
Ministres des Transports)
1931 - 1932 Philippe Joseph Aimé van Isacker s.a.
1932 - 1934 Pierre Jean Joseph Forthomme s.a.
1934 Octave Victor Dierckx s.a.
Ministers of Post and Telegraphs
(Ministers van Posterijen en Telegrafie
Ministres des Postes et Télégraphes) (11)
1929 - 1931 Pierre Jean Joseph Forthomme s.a.
1931 François Louis Charles Marie Bovesse s.a.
Ministers of Post, Telegraphs and Telephones
(Ministers van Posterijen, Telegraaf en Telefoon
Ministres des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones)
1931 - 1932 François Louis Charles Marie Bovesse s.a.
1932 - 1934 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph, Burggraaf
Poullet s.a.
1934 Victor Eugène Ange Jules Maistriau s.a.
Ministers of Transports, Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones
(Ministers van Vervoer, Posterijen, Telegraaf en Telefoon
Ministres des Transports, des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones)
1934 - 1935 Paul Marie Léon Charles, Vicomte du
Bus de Warnaffe s.a.
1935 - 1936 Paul-Henri Spaak s.a.
Ministers of Transports
(Ministers van Vervoer
Ministres des Transports)
1936 - 1937 Marcel Henri Jaspar 1901 -
1937 - 1938 Hendrik Frans Clément Marck s.a.
Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones
(Minister van Posterijen, Telegraaf en Telefoon
Ministre des Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones)
1936 - 1938 David Jacques Romain Bouchery 1888 - 1944
Minister of Transports, Posts, Telegraphs, Telephones and of the National Radio
Broadcasting Institute
(Minister van Vervoer, Posterijen, Telegraaf, Telefoon en van het NIR
Ministre des Transports, des Postes, Télégraphes, Téléphones et de l'INR) (12)
1938 - 1939 Hendrik Frans Clément Marck s.a.
Minister of Transports
(Minister van Vervoer
Ministre des Transports)
1939 Hendrik Frans Clément Marck,
also Minister of Public Works s.a.
Ministers of Transports, Posts, Telegraphs, Telephones and of the National Radio
Broadcasting Institute
(Ministers van Vervoer, Posterijen, Telegraaf, Telefoon en van het NIR
Ministres des Transports, des Postes, Télégraphes, Téléphones et de l'INR)
1939 - 1940 Hendrik Frans Clément Marck s.a.
1940 Antoine Louis Philippe Ghislain Delfosse s.a.
1940 - 1943 none (period of exile)
Minister of Communications
(Minister van Verkeer
Ministre des Communications)
1943 - 1944 August Jozef Balthazar, also
Minister of Public Works in exile s.a.
Minister of Transports, Posts, Telegraphs, Telephones and of the National Radio
Broadcasting Institute
(Minister van Vervoer, Posterijen, Telegraaf, Telefoon en van het NIR
Ministre des Transports, des Postes, Télégraphes, Téléphones et de l'INR)
1944 - 1945 Ernest Rongvaux 1881 - 1964
Minister of Communications
(Minister van Verkeer
Ministre des Communications)
1945 - 1947 Ernest Rongvaux s.a.
Ministers in charge of Public Health
1932 : The division of Social Security of the Ministry of Industry and Labour and
the division of Hygiene of the Ministry of the Interior were united to form
the new Ministry of Social Security and Hygiene. (13)
Minister of Social Security and Hygiene
(Minister van Sociale Voorzorg en Hygiëne
Ministre de la Sécurite sociale et de l'Hygiène)
1932 - 1934 Henry Victor Marie Ghislain, Comte
Carton de Wiart s.a.
1934 : Ministry abolished :
- Social Security was united with Labour to form the new Ministry of Labour
and Social Security (s.a.)
- Hygiene was returned to the Ministry of the Interior.
1936 : Creation of a Ministry of Public Health encompassing the division of Hygiene
as well as some health offices from other ministries (the medical service
of the Ministry of Posts, Telgraphs and Telephones, the division of charitable
institutions of the Ministry of Justice,...)
Minister of Public Health
(Ministers van Openbare Gezondheid
Ministres de la Santé publique)
1936 - 1937 Émile Vandervelde
1937 - 1938 Arthur Alexis Joseph Wauters s.a.
1938 - 1939 Émile Jean Hubert Jennissen 1882 - 1949
1939 Willem Eekelers s.a.
1939 ...
1939 - 1940 Marcel Henri Jaspar s.a.
1940 - 1944 none (period of exile)
1944 Albert Marteaux 1886 - 1949
1944 Edmond Emmanuel Paul Ronse s.a.
1944 - 1945 Achille van Acker s.a.
1945 - 1946 Albert Marteaux (2x)
Ministers in charge of the National Reconstruction, Supply, etc
Minister of National Reconstruction
(Minister van Nationale Wederopbouw
Ministre de la Reconstruction nationale)
1918 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville, in exile s.a.
Ministers of Supply
(Ministers van Bevoorrading
Minitres du Ravitaillement)
1918 - 1921 The Ministers of Industry, Labour
and Supply s.a.
1921 - 1939 none
1939 - 1940 Antoine Louis Philippe Ghislain Delfosse s.a.
1940 - 1944 none (period of exile)
Under Secretary of State of Supply
(Onderstaatssecretaris voor Bevoorrading
Sous-Secrétaire d'État du Ravitaillement)
1942 - 1944 Raoul Eugène Guillaume Richard s.a.
1944 - 1945 Léon Delsinne 1882 -
1945 - 1946 Edgar Clément Léonard Gaston Lalmand 1894 - 1965
Ministers of the Middle Classes
(Ministers van de Middenstand
Ministres des Classes moyennes)
1899 : A Bureau for Middle Classes (small commercial entreprises) was established
within the Ministry of Industry and Labour, which remained in charge until
ca 1925.
1925 - 1926 The Ministers of Economic Affairs (in charge) s.a.
1926 - 1932 The Ministers of Agriculture (in charge) s.a.
1932 - 1934 The Ministers of Agriculture and Middle
Classes s.a.
1934 The Minister of Industry, Internal Trade
and Middle Classes s.a.
1934 - 1937 ...
1937 - 1945 The Ministers of Economic Affairs and
Middle Classes s.a.
1945 - 1946 The Ministers of Economic Affairs (in charge) s.a.
Ministers of the Resorption of Unemployment
(Ministers voor de Opslorping van de Werkeloosheid
Ministres de la Résorption du Chômage)
1935 - 1937 The Ministers of Public Works and
of Resorption of Unemployment s.a.
1937 - 1938 ...
1938 - 1939 The Minister of Public Works and
of Resorption of Unemployment s.a.
1939 ...
1939 - 1940 The Minister of Public Works and
of Resorption of Unemployment s.a.
Minister of Coal
(Minister van Steenkolen
Ministre des Charbons)
1945 - 1946 Achille van Acker, also
Prime Minister s.a.
Minister of War Victims
(Minister van Oorlogsslachtoffers
Ministre des Victimes de Guerre)
1945 Henri Pauwels 1890 - 1946
Ministers in charge of Cultural Affairs
1831 - 1878 The Ministers of the Interior in charge of
Cultural Affairs (Instruction, Fine Arts,
Sciences and Literature) s.a.
1878 : A separate Ministry of Public Instruction (in charge of all cultural affairs)
was established by a Liberal government trying to establish a public school
system free from the influence of the Catholic Church. (Hereby initiating
the first of the so-called "School Wars")
Minister of Public Instruction
Minister van Openbaar Onderwijs
Ministre de l'Instruction publique
1878 - 1884 Pierre Édouard van Humbeeck s.a.
1884 : A new Catholic government abolished the department. Its attributions were
divided between :
- the Ministry of the Interior (Public Instruction divisions), the Minister
being styled Minister of the Interior and of Public Instruction (s.a.)
- the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Public Works (division of Fine
Arts, Sciences and Literature).
Later changes included :
- 1888 : Division of Fine Arts, Sciences and Literature again transferred to the
Ministry of the Interior
- 1896 : Administration of Fine Arts transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture
and Public Works.
- 1899 : Fine Arts transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture. (14)
- 1907 : Fine Arts and all other cultural administrations regrouped into the new
Ministry of Arts and Sciences.
Ministers of Arts and Sciences
Ministers van Kunsten en Wetenschappen
Ministres des Arts et des Sciences
1907 - 1910 Édouard Eugène François, Baron Descamps 1847 - 1933
1910 - 1911 Frans Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert s.a.
1911 - 1918 Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph Poullet s.a.
1918 - 1919 Alphonse Félix Auguste Harmignie 1851 - 1931
1919 Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Baron de
Broqueville* s.a.
1919 - 1921 Jules Destrée 1863 - 1936
1921 Grégoire Lambert François Xavier Neujean* s.a.
1921 - 1922 Eugène Hubert 1853 - 1931
1922 Léon Leclère 1866 - 1944
1922 - 1925 Pierre Adrien Émile Louis Nolf 1873 - 1953
1925 Louis Léon Theodor* s.a.
1925 - 1927 Camille Huysmans 1871 - 1968
1927 - 1931 Maurice Vauthier s.a.
1931 - 1932 Robert Charles François Petitjean 1887 - 1951
1932 Maurice Auguste Eugène Charles,
Comte Lippens s.a.
1932 : Ministry renamed Ministry of Public Instruction.
Ministers of Public Instruction
Ministers van Openbaar Onderwijs
Ministres de l'Instruction publique
1932 - 1934 Maurice Auguste Eugène Charles,
Comte Lippens s.a.
1934 Victor Eugène Ange Jules Maistriau s.a.
1934 - 1935 Jules Hiernaux 1885 - 1944
1935 - 1936 François Louis Charles Marie Bovesse s.a.
1936 - 1938 Julius (Jules) Peter Hoste 1884 - 1954
1938 - 1939 Oscar Victor Dierckx s.a.
1939 Edgar Blanquaert 1894 - 1964
1939 - 1940 Jules Duesberg 1881 - 1947
1940 Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan s.a.
1940 - 1944 Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot, in exile,
also Prime Minister s.a.
Under Secretary of State of Public Instruction
(Onderstaatssecretaris van Openbaar Onderwijs
Sous-Secrétaire d'État de l'Instruction publique)
1942 - 1944 Julius (Jules) Peter Hoste s.a.
1944 - 1945 Victor Auguste de Laveleye s.a.
1945 - 1946 Auguste Dieudonné Eugène Buisseret 1888 - 1965
Ministers in charge of the Oversea Dependencies
Ministers of the Colonies
Ministers van Koloniën
Ministres des Colonies
Established in 1908. In charge of all oversea dependencies, except the Concession
of Tianjin, which was under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
1908 - 1918 Jules Renkin, in exile 1914 - 1918 s.a.
1918 - 1924 Louis Marie François Franck 1868 - 1937
1924 - 1926 Henri Joseph Georges Carton de Tournai s.a.
1926 Maurice Jules Marie Emmanuel Eleuthère,
Baron Houtart s.a.
1926 - 1926 Édouard Gustave Charles Marie Pécher 1879 - 1926
1927 - 1929 Henri Jaspar s.a.
1929 - 1930 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen s.a.
1930 - 1931 Henri Jaspar (2x)
1931 Paul Charles 1885 - 1954
1931 - 1932 Paul Gustave Corneille Crokaert s.a.
1932 - 1934 Paul Marie Joseph Raymond Tschoffen (2x)
1934 - 1935 Paul Charles (2x)
1935 - 1938 Edmond Maria Rubbens s.a.
1938 ...
1938 - 1939 Jozef Albert de Vleeschauwer s.a.
1939 Gaston René Joseph Heenen 1880 - 1963
1939 - 1945 Jozef Albert de Vleeschauwer (2x),
in exile, also appointed Administrator
-General of the Colonies with absolute
powers over Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi
for the duration of the war, also Minister
of Justice in exile 1940 - 1942
1945 Edgar Firmin Eugène Gustave de Bruyne 1898 - 1959
Ministers without Portfolio
Ministers zonder Portefeuille
Ministres sans Portefeuille
1871 - 1874 Barthélemy Théodore, Comte de Theux de
Meylandt 1794 - 1874
1874 - 1915 none
1915 - 1916 Eugène Beyens, in exile s.a.
1916 - 1918 -Jules Davignon (in 1916), in exile s.a.
-Eugène Félicien Albert, Comte Goblet
d'Alviela, in exile 1846 - 1925
-Paul Hymans, in exile s.a.
-Émile Vandervelde (until 1917), in exile s.a.
-Émile Lucien Brunet (in 1918), in exile 1863 - 1945
1918 - 1926 none
1926 - 1927 Lucien Joseph Émile Francqui 1863 - 1935
1927 - 1934 none
1934 -Marie Julien Jules Jean Ingenbleek 1876 - 1953
-Paul van Zeeland s.a.
1934 - 1935 Lucien Joseph Émile Francqui (2x)
1935 - 1936 -Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph, Burggraaf
Poullet s.a.
-Paul Hymans s.a.
-Émile Vandervelde (2x) s.a.
1936 - 1939 none
1939 - 1940 Paul-Émile Janson s.a.
1940 none
1940 - 1944 -LtGen. Henri J. Ch. P. Denis, in exile s.a.
-Paul-Émile Janson (2x), in exile
-Léon Jacques Louis Matagne, in exile s.a.
-Eugène Édouard César Gaëtan Soudan, in exile s.a.
-Pieter Frans Arthur Vanderpoorten, in exile s.a.
-Charles Albert Ferdinand Gobert,
Comte d'Aspremont-Lynden, in exile s.a.
1944 - 1945 -Charles Marie Joseph de Visscher,
Chairman of the Political Committee
of the Resistance 1884 - 1973
-Raymond Dispy (in 1944), Secretary
of the Belgian Communist Party and
Commander of the Belgian Army of
Partisans 1903 - 1983
-Fernand Sylvain Demany (in 1944),
Secretary general of the
Independec Front 1904 - 1977
-August Edmond Sylvain de Schryver s.a.
-Paul Georges Kronacker 1897 - 1994
1945 Paul Georges Kronacker s.a.
(for De Visscher, Dispy and Demany see also here)
(10) In 1926 the actual administration of the Railways was entrusted to the
National Society of Belgian Railways (NMBS = Nationale Maatschappij der
Belgische Spoorwegen - SNCB = Socièté nationale des Chemins de Fer belges)
a semi-independent agency under the supervision of the Ministry.
An administration for Railways had been established within the Ministry
of the Interior as early as 1834 (and so most probably the first state
railway administration in the world). At first it only
- managed the railways owned by the Belgian state, the Chemins de Fer de
l'État belge.
- supervised the numerous private companies of foreign or local origin.
But later all privately owned tracts were taken over by the state - the
last one only in 1948 - and merged into the NMBS/SNCB.
(11) In 1930 the actual management of Telegraphs and Telephones was entrusted to
an autonomous Regie (Administration of the State Monopoly) of Telegraphs
and Telephones.
(12) The National Radio Broadcasting Institute (NIR = Nationaal Instituut voor
Radio-Omroep - INR = Institut National de la Radiodiffusion) was created
in 1930 by the merger of Francophone Radio Belgique (since 1923) and the
Dutchspeaking NV Radio (since 1928).
The unitarian bilingual structure was shortliving as in 1937 the NIR/INR
was already divided into two autonomous directions - Dutch and French -
with only a common tecnical infrastructure.
The institute was under the supervision of the Minister of Communications.
After the German occupation in 1940 it ceased to exist, being replaced by
a German sponsored Sender-Brüssel.
In 1942 the governement in exile established a new Belgian National Office
of Radio Broadcasting (BNRO = Belgische Nationale Dienst voor Radio-Omroep
- ORNB = Office de Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge) which was subordinated
to the Ministry of Information.
(13) Before this there had been no central office in charge of health affairs.
The principal of these separate services was the office for civil health
and hygiene established as a independent agency in 1845, but integrated
into the Ministry of the Interior in 1846.
In 190. it became a separate division, but it only became really important
after WWI when the Ministers of the Interior were restyled Ministers of
the Interior and Hygiene (s.a)
Heads of the Division of Hygiene at the Ministry of the Interior
190. - 192. O. Velghe
192. - 1932 G. Timbal
(14) The reasons why Fine Arts, etc. were attached for some time to "economic"
ministries could not be retraced.
Possibly the administrations were not fully integrated into the ministries
but rather were (semi-)independent agencies under the care of the Minister.
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