Gerhard Cooreman

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Gerhard (Gérard) François Marie Cooreman (born March 25, 1852 in Ghent , †  December 2, 1926 in Brussels ) was a Belgian Catholic politician and Prime Minister.

Studies and professional activities

After studying law and the promotion for Doctor iuris 1875 at the University of Ghent , he was a lawyer active in Ghent. He also worked in the financial world and in the Catholic social service in Ghent.

After he left parliament in 1914, he became director of one of the largest investment companies in Belgium, the Société générale de Belgique, founded in 1822 . As such, he was from 1914 to 1918 chairman of the Committee for Prisoner of War Aid.

Political career

Member of Parliament and Speaker of Parliament

Cooreman began his political career in 1892 as a senator . In 1898 he was first elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies. There he represented the interests of the Katholieke Partij of the Ghent arrondissement until 1914 . From 1908 to 1912 he was President of the Chamber of Deputies.

Minister and Prime Minister 1918

In the cabinet of Jules Vandenpeereboom he was briefly Minister for Industry and Labor from January 24 to August 5, 1899.

As early as 1911, after the overthrow of the government of Frans Schollaert, at the will of King Albert I , Cooreman, who was politically striving to achieve a balance, was to become Prime Minister. Cooreman rejected the formation of a government in favor of his party friend Charles de Broqueville, however.

In 1912 he was awarded the royal honorary title of Minister of State . After the outbreak of the First World War , Cooreman followed Prime Minister de Broqueville's government to Antwerp and later into exile in Le Havre , although he was neither a minister nor a member of parliament.

After de Broqueville's resignation, Albert I asked him again to form a government. This time Cooreman agreed to take over the post of Prime Minister. From June 1 to November 21, 1918, he served as Prime Minister and endeavored to end the war. On November 11, 1918, the armistice was signed and ten days later he was replaced by Léon Delacroix as Prime Minister.

Publications

  • Gerard Cooreman et al. a .: Reports on the violation of the rights of nations and of the laws and customs of war in Belgium. London 1915

Biographical sources

personal data
SURNAME Cooreman, Gerhard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cooreman, Gerhard François Marie (full name); Cooreman, Gérard François Marie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1852
PLACE OF BIRTH Ghent
DATE OF DEATH December 2, 1926
Place of death Brussels