Minister of the Colonies (Belgium)

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On the left hand side, one of the former buildings of the Ministry of the Colonies, adjacent to the Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg/Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg church, and which is now the Constitutional Court on the Place Royale, Brussels[1]

Belgium had a colonial empire in Central Africa from 1908 to 1962, comprising the colony of the Belgian Congo (1908–60) and the international mandate of Ruanda-Urundi (1916–62). The territories were the responsibility of a Belgian parliamentarian who received the title Minister of the Colonies (French: Ministre des Colonies, Dutch: Minister van Koloniën) for most of the colonial period. The exact title was changed on several occasions.

Ministerial title[]

For most of the existence of the post, office holders were known as "Minister of the Colonies" (Ministre des Colonies or Minister van Koloniën). From the accession of  [nl] in November 1958, however, the ministerial title changed to "Minister of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi" (Ministre du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi or Minister van Belgisch-Congo en Ruanda-Urundi).[2] On 30 June 1960, with the independence of the Belgian Congo, the title changed to "Minister of African Affairs" (Ministre des affaires africaines or Minister van afrikaanse zaken) whose only office holders were August de Schryver and Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden.[3]

In addition to official colonial ministers, two individuals served as ministers without portfolio with a colonial brief between 1959 and 1960. Raymond Scheyven was "Minister without portfolio, charged with the economic and financial affairs of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi"[a] while Walter Ganshof van der Meersch was "Minister without portfolio, charged with general affairs in Africa".[b][2]

List of ministers[]

The following is a list of ministers, cited by historian in his book Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980:[3]

Political parties
Christian Democrat

  Catholic Party, later:
  Christian Social Party

Liberal

  Liberal Party

Socialist

  Belgian Socialist Party

Portrait Name Term of office Political party Prime Minister Monarch
(Reign)
Took office Left office Time in office
Brussels, Palais de la Nation, Jules Renkin.jpg Jules Renkin 30 October 1908 21 November 1918 10 years, 22 days Catholic Party Frans Schollaert
Charles de Broqueville
Gérard Cooreman 		Albert I
Portrait of Albert I of Belgium.jpg
(1909–34)
FranckLouis.jpg Louis Franck 21 November 1918 11 March 1924 5 years, 111 days Liberal Party Léon Delacroix
Henri Carton de Wiart
Georges Theunis
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Henri Carton de Tournai 11 March 1924 20 May 1926 2 years, 70 days Catholic Party Georges Theunis
Aloys Van de Vyvere
Prosper Poullet
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Maurice Houtart (I) 20 May 1926 15 November 1926 179 days Catholic Party Henri Jaspar
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Édouard Pecher[c] 16 November 1926 27 December 1926 41 days Liberal Party Henri Jaspar
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Maurice Houtart (II) 29 December 1926 18 January 1927 20 days Catholic Party Henri Jaspar
Henri Jaspar 1921.jpg Henri Jaspar (I) 18 January 1927 19 October 1929 2 years, 274 days Catholic Party Own government
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] 19 October 1929 24 December 1929 66 days Catholic Party Henri Jaspar
Henri Jaspar 1921.jpg Henri Jaspar (II) 27 February 1930 18 June 1931 1 year, 111 days Catholic Party Own government
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] 18 May 1931 16 August 1931 90 days Extra-Parliamentary
(Catholic) 		Henri Jaspar
Jules Renkin
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] 6 June 1931 25 May 1932 354 days Catholic Party Jules Renkin
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg (II) 23 May 1932 13 November 1934 2 years, 174 days Catholic Party Jules Renkin
Charles de Broqueville
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg (II) 20 November 1934 25 March 1935 125 days Extra-Parliamentary
(Catholic) 		Georges Theunis
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] [c] 25 March 1935 27 April 1938 3 years, 33 days Catholic Party Paul van Zeeland
Paul-Émile Janson 		Leopold III
Leopold III van België (1934).jpg
(1934–44)
Albert de Vleeschauwer 1942.jpg Albert De Vleeschauwer (I) 15 May 1938 22 February 1939 283 days Catholic Party Paul-Henri Spaak
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] 21 February 1939 16 April 1939 54 days Extra-Parliamentary
(Catholic) 		Hubert Pierlot
Albert de Vleeschauwer 1942.jpg Albert De Vleeschauwer (II) 16 April 1939 31 January 1945 5 years, 290 days Catholic Party Hubert Pierlot
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [fr] 12 February 1945 16 June 1945 124 days Catholic Party Achille Van Acker Prince Charles
Karel van België Charles de Belgique Karl von Belgien.jpg
Regent
(1944–50)
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] (I) 2 August 1945 18 February 1946 200 days Liberal Party Achille Van Acker
Craeybeckx.jpg Lode Craeybeckx 13 March 1946 20 March 1946 7 days Belgian Socialist Party Paul-Henri Spaak
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg (II) 31 March 1946 11 March 1947 345 days Liberal Party Achille Van Acker
Camille Huysmans
Minister Belgische Kabinet J. van Offelen (PVV), Minister Justitie en Franse Cultuur P. Wigny (CVP).jpg Pierre Wigny 20 March 1947 12 August 1950 3 years, 145 days Christian Social Party Paul-Henri Spaak
Gaston Eyskens
Jean Duvieusart
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [nl] 15 August 1950 12 April 1954 3 years, 240 days Christian Social Party Gaston Eyskens
Jean Duvieusart
Joseph Pholien
Jean Van Houtte 		Baudouin
Anefo 911-3016 Tweede dag (cropped).jpg
(1950–93)
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [fr] 23 April 1954 2 June 1958 4 years, 40 days Liberal Party Achille Van Acker
Gaston Eyskens
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Léo Pétillon[d] 5 July 1958 6 November 1958 124 days Extra-Parliamentary
(Catholic) 		Gaston Eyskens
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg  [fr] 6 November 1958 2 September 1959 300 days Christian Social Party Gaston Eyskens
August de Schryver 1959.jpg August De Schryver 3 September 1959 2 September 1960 365 days Christian Social Party Gaston Eyskens
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Raymond Scheyven[a] 17 November 1959 2 September 1960 290 days Christian Social Party Gaston Eyskens
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg Walter Ganshof van der Meersch[b] 16 May 1960 20 July 1960 65 days Extra-Parliamentary Gaston Eyskens
Great coat of arms of Belgium.svg 2 September 1960 27 March 1961 206 days Christian Social Party Gaston Eyskens

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Scheyven held the unique position of Minister without portfolio, charged with the economic and financial affairs of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi (Ministre sans portefeuille, chargé des Affaires économiques et financières du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi or Minister zonder portefeuille, belast met de economische en financiële zaken van Belgisch-Kongo en Ruanda-Urundi).
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Ganshof van der Meersch held the unique ministerial position of "Minister without portfolio, charged with general affairs in Africa (Ministre sans portefeuille, chargé des affaires générales en Afrique or minister zonder portefeuille, belast met de algemene zaken in Afrika).
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Both Édouard Pecher and died in office.[4]
  4. ^ A career civil servant in the colonial service, Pétillon had previous served as Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 1952 to 1958.

References[]

  1. ^ Vanhove 1968, p. 4.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Vanthemsche 2012, p. 275.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Vanthemsche 2012, pp. 273–5.
  4. ^ Vanthemsche 2012, pp. 273–4.
  5. ^ "As from 2015 the FPS Foreign Affairs transfers the so-called 'Africa Archives' to the State Archives". Arch.be. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017.

Bibliography[]

  • Vanthemsche, Guy (2012). Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-19421-1.
  • Vanhove, Julien (1968). Histoire du Ministère des Colonies (PDF). Brussels: Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences.
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