Henri Carton de Wiart

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henri Carton de Wiart (photo around 1900)

Henri Carton Comte de Wiart (born January 31, 1869 in Brussels , † May 6, 1951 in Uccle ) was a Belgian Catholic politician and Prime Minister.

Studies and professional activities

After studying law in Brussels, Bonn and Paris and obtaining a doctorate in law, he worked as a lawyer . He kept this activity during his subsequent long political career.

Political career

MP

Carton de Wiart was first elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies in 1896 . There he represented the interests of the Katholieke Partij until his death in 1951 and from 1945 the Christelijke Partij of the arrondissement of Brussels . With 55 years of membership in the Chamber of Deputies, he was one of the longest serving Belgian parliamentarians. Together with Jules Renkin and a few other politicians, he was one of the founders of the Belgian Christian Democracy .

Minister and Prime Minister 1920 to 1921

From June 17, 1911 to May 31, 1918 he was Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Charles de Broqueville . As such, he introduced a law on child protection in 1912.

After the First World War , he was Prime Minister from November 20, 1920 to December 16, 1921 as successor to Léon Delacroix . His government of “National Unity”, in which he himself also took over the Ministry of the Interior, was composed of ministers from the Katholieke Partij as well as the socialists and liberals. During the reign the second constitutional amendment was passed, which for the first time included a constitutional guarantee of bilingualism.

From 1924 to 1926, he was Minister for the Colonies in the cabinets of Georges Theunis , Aloys van de Vijvere and Prosper Poullet . Under Prime Minister de Broqueville, he served from October 22, 1932 to November 20, 1934 as Minister for Labor, Social Security and Hygiene.

After the Wehrmacht invaded Belgium during World War II in 1940, he was awarded the royal honorary title of Minister of State. As such, he took part in numerous cabinet meetings of the government- in- exile in France .

After the Second World War, he was minister without portfolio from August 11, 1949 to June 8, 1950 with special responsibility for economic coordination and national reconstruction in the first cabinet of Gaston Eyskens . In the transitional cabinet of his successor, Jean Duvieusart , he was finally Minister of Justice from June 8, 1950 to August 15, 1950 at the age of 81. In this position he tried in vain to give the King Leopold III , who was still in exile,. to help regain the throne.

Further offices and honors

In 1922 King Albert I ennobled him Count (Comte). He was later appointed President of the Supreme Court of the Belgian- Luxembourg Economic Council. He was also a member of the delegation to the League of Nations from 1928 to 1935 . From 1934 to 1947 was President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union .

Publications

In addition to his political activities, Carton de Wiart wrote historical novels and travelogues as a member of Jeune Belgique , a nationalist literary movement.

For his services to the, he was made a member of the newly founded Royal Academy of French Language and Literature in 1920, where he held the first chair until his death. More publishments:

  • Carton de Wiart, Henri: "Souvenirs littéraires", 1938.
  • Carton de Wiart, Henri: "Notice sur Auguste Beernaert ", in: Annuaire de l'Académie Royale de Belgique, 105 (1939) 293-364.
  • Carton de Wiart, Henri: "Beernaert et son temps", Bruxelles, La Renaissance du Livre, 1945.

Biographical sources

Background literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ I. L'ONE NATIONALE ( French ) ONE. Archived from the original on February 22, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  2. ^ President ( French ) UIP. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Research ( French ) Chapitre.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ ACADÉMIE ROYALE ( French ) francophonie.philo.ulg.ac.be. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Carton de Wiart, Henri
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Henri Carton Comte de Wiart
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian politician and prime minister
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1869
PLACE OF BIRTH Brussels
DATE OF DEATH May 6, 1951
Place of death Uccle