Achille Delattre (24 August 1879 – 13 July 1964) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

politician and trade unionist. Born in Pâturages, in the

Hainaut Province Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (clock ...

of Belgium, Delattre became a coal miner at the age of twelve. In 1902, he founded a branch of the Belgian Miners' Federation in his village. He spent some time working as a journalist, but from 1914 worked full-time as a trade union organiser and politician. In 1907, Delattre joined the

Belgian Labour Party The Belgian Labour Party ( nl, Belgische Werkliedenpartij, BWP; french: Parti ouvrier belge, POB) was the first major socialist party in Belgium. Founded in 1885, the party was officially disbanded in 1940 and superseded by the Belgian Socialist P ...

, winning election to the village council, then in 1921 he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives, representing

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. The following year, he was elected to the national executive of the Labour Party. In 1927, Delattre was persuaded by

Herbert Smith Herbert Smith LLP was a multinational law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The firm was founded in the City of London in 1882 by Norman Herbert Smith and merged with the Australian law firm Freehills on 1 October 2012, forming Herber ...

to become secretary of the

Miners' International Federation The Miners' International Federation (MIF), sometimes known as the International Federation of Miners, was a global union federation of trade unions. History The federation was established in 1890 at a meeting in Brussels by unions from Austria, ...

(MIF), the first non-Briton to hold the post. He resigned in 1934, becoming Minister of Labour in Belgium from 1935 until 1939, then served as vice-president of the Labour Party until it was banned in 1940. He also served as Mayor of Pâturages in 1939, and again from the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1945, Delattre was elected as chair of the

Union of Mineworkers of Belgium The Union of Mineworkers of Belgium (french: Centrale syndicale des travailleurs des mines de Belgique, CSTMB; nl, Nationale Centrale der Mijnwerkers van België, NCMB) was a trade union representing coal miners in Belgium. History The union was e ...

, and also as president of the MIF. That year, he was one of the former Labour Party politicians who founded the

Belgian Socialist Party nl, Belgische Socialistische Partij , logo = Logo of the Belgian Socialist Party.png , caption = The fist and rose emblem used by the party from 1973. , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Achille Van Acker (first)André Cools (last) ...

, and he was also made a

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

. He served as Minister for Fuel and Energy from 1947 to 1948, and remained a representative until 1954. He retired from his trade union posts in 1958, but remained Mayor of Pâturages until his death in 1964.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delattre, Achille 1879 births 1964 deaths People from Colfontaine Belgian Labour Party politicians Belgian Socialist Party politicians Belgian Ministers of State Government ministers of Belgium Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Mayors of places in Belgium Belgian trade unionists