Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt

Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt (around 1850)

Barthélémy Théodor Graf de Theux de Meylandt (born February 26, 1794 at Schabroek Castle in Sint-Truiden , † August 21, 1874 at Meylandt Castle in Heusden ) was a Belgian politician and three times Prime Minister.

Life

De Theux came from a noble family in the Duchy of Limburg . He studied at the Liege University Law , acquired in 1816 in this discipline doctoral degrees and was in Brussels lawyer , but did not practice. After the outbreak of this Belgian revolution , he became a member of the National Congress in November 1830, joined the moderate party, voted against the election of the Duke of Nemours as Belgian king in February 1831 and was very committed to achieving Belgium's independence from the Netherlands .

In 1831 de Theux first became a member of the Chamber of Deputies and in December of the same year Minister of the Interior. In this position he paid particular attention to the establishment of the Belgian rail system. After he and his cabinet colleagues had resigned in 1832, he himself became Prime Minister of a clerical cabinet in August 1834 and at the same time again Minister of the Interior; later, after creating a Ministry of Public Works, he took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Among other things, he enforced the free trade, teaching, university and local law. In April 1840 he resigned with his ministers after losing the majority of the Catholic party. In consideration of his merits, he was raised to the rank of count and for a while worked as minister without a portfolio.

At the end of March 1846, de Theux was once again Prime Minister of a clerical cabinet, but had to resign on August 12, 1847 as a result of the victory of the liberal left in the elections and was one of the leaders of the Catholic clerical party in the chamber until 1870. In December 1871 he became president and minister without portfolio in a new clerical ministry. He still held these offices when he died on August 21, 1874 at the age of 80.

literature

• Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt . In: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon . 4th edition. Volume 15, Verlag des Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1885–1892, p. 650.