Jean-Maurice Dehousse

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Jean-Maurice Dehousse (born October 11, 1936 in Liège ) is a former Belgian politician of the Parti Socialiste (PS). He was a long-time member of parliament ( Chamber of Deputies , Senate and European Parliament ) and a minister in various governments at national level. Dehousse is considered one of the founding fathers of the Walloon Region and held the post of Prime Minister of the same. At the local level, he was mayor of Liege.

resume

Jean-Maurice Dehousse was born to Fernand Dehousse , also a politician and former minister, and Rita Lejeune, philologist and one of Belgium's first female university professors. He received his doctorate in law in 1960 from the University of Liège (ULg) and completed a degree in Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University (JHU, 1961).

After completing his studies, Dehousse worked first as a researcher for the FNRS (National Research Fund) (1962 to 1965), then as an assistant at the ULg (1966 to 1971) and professor at the Brussels School of Translation (1965 to 1971). During this time he mainly took on the role of the trade union delegate of the socialist-oriented FGTB for the scientific staff of the ULg.

Political career

Even before he actually entered active politics, Dehousse was politically active as a trade unionist. Convinced of the idea of ​​regionalization in Belgium, he joined the Mouvement populaire wallon (MPW) in 1961 under the union leader André Renard . At the Congress of Walloon Socialists, which was held in Verviers on November 26, 1967 , Dehousse spoke out in favor of a strong Walloon identity.

In 1970, Jean-Maurice Dehousse was appointed assistant head of cabinet to the then minister and co-founder of the MPW Feddy Terwagne ( PSB ) and in 1971 as head of cabinet of his father Fernand Dehousse (PSB). In this capacity he was able to participate in the negotiations for the first state reform, during which the regions were legally created but not yet specifically established.

In 1971 Dehousse was finally elected to the Chamber of Deputies, but had to meet in the opposition. In the 1970s he was particularly keen to emphasize the regionalist profile of the PSB and advocated rapprochement with the Rassemblement Wallon (RW), the regionalist party of François Perin . Jean-Maurice Dehousse made his leap into government in 1977, where he first held the office of Minister for French Culture. There he advocated the renaming of the state broadcaster RTB ( Radio-Télévision belge ) in RTBF ( Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française ). At the same time he negotiated the second state reform with other greats of the Parti Socialiste (the successor to the PSB) such as André Cools or Guy Spitaels , which was the real birth of the regions.

In the governments under Wilfried Martens ( CVP ), Dehousse received the post of Minister of the Walloon Region. At the same time he was the chairman of the Walloon ministers within the national government, which in effect made him the first Prime Minister of the Walloon Region. His main task as minister was to prepare for regionalization and to create new administrative structures in Namur , the unofficial capital of the region. When the Walloon government was finally able to act independently of the national one, Dehousse was first Walloon Minister for Economic Affairs under André Damseaux ( PRL ) in 1982 and Prime Minister in the same year. He held this office until 1985.

The end of the 1980s was mainly characterized by internal disputes between the Liège PS. As a member of the Liège municipal council since 1976, Dehousse fought with José Happart , whom he also supported in his fight for the municipality of Voeren , and other politicians of the so-called Groupe Perron against the influence of the ailing mayor of Flémalle André Cools. After Cools was murdered in 1991, Dehousse was also traded as the successor to the head of the Liège PS Federation, but Michel Daerden , at that time as a compromise candidate, was given precedence.

In 1992, Jean-Maurice Dehousse was once again a minister under Jean-Luc Dehaene (CVP), but left Daerden his post when he won the local elections in 1994 and took office in Liège. However, he left this office a few years later when he was elected to the European Parliament in 1999. In the same year Dehousse ran for the presidency of the PS, but lost clearly to Elio Di Rupo .

Since the end of his European mandate, Jean-Maurice Dehousse has lived withdrawn from political life.

Honors

Jean-Maurice Dehousse is in command of the Leopold Order . He was elected one of the 100 most important Walloon personalities of the twentieth century by the Jules Destrée Institute .

Overview of political offices

  • 1971–1981: Member of the Chamber of Deputies (partially prevented)
  • 1976–2006: Member of the Liege Municipal Council
  • 1977–1978: Minister for French Culture in the governments of Tindemans IV and Vanden Boeynant II
  • 1979–1981: Minister of the Walloon Region in the Martens I , Martens II , Martens III , Martens IV and M. Eyskens Governments
  • 1980–1995: Member of the Walloon Parliament (partially prevented)
  • 1980–1981: President of the executive branch of the Walloon Region (within the national government)
  • 1981–1991: Senator (partially prevented)
  • 1982–1985: Prime Minister of the Government of the Walloon Region, responsible for the economy
  • 1991–1995: Member of the Chamber of Deputies (partially prevented)
  • 1992–1994: Minister for Science Policy in the Dehaene I government
  • 1995–1999: Mayor of Liège
  • 1999–2004: Member of the European Parliament

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personal data
SURNAME Dehousse, Jean-Maurice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian politician (PS), MEP, Walloon Prime Minister and Mayor
DATE OF BIRTH October 11, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Liege