Adolphe Eugène Jean Henri Max (30 December 1869 – 6 November 1939) 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 languag ...

liberal politician and

mayor of the City of Brussels This is a list of mayors or burgomasters of the City of Brussels. Burgundian Netherlands (1384–1482) *1380: Geert Pipenpoy *1381: Geert Pipenpoy and Jacques Stovaert *1421: J. Swaeff, J. Cooman *1422: Walter Vanden Heetvelde, Petrus van Bole ...

from 1909 until his death. He was also an irregular

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, an honorary

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 ...

and a member of the

Institut de France The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...

. Max graduated in law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and entered the legal profession, besides doing journalistic work. When he was 25 years old, he was elected a province councillor for

Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe * London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany Belgium * Province of Bra ...

, and was elected a city councillor in 1903. After he had worked as a magistrate, he was appointed city mayor of Brussels on 6 December 1909. Under the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

of Brussels during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Max refused to cooperate with the occupying forces. As a result, he was arrested and held in captivity, first at

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, and then at Glatz (Poland) and

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

(Germany), until he escaped on 13 November 1918. Charles Lemonnier was acting mayor during his captivity. On his return to Brussels, he was greeted as a hero. In 1919, he was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered ...

, where he campaigned for

universal adult suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...

, a goal not achieved until after his death. Among the monuments from Max's time in office as mayor of Brussels are parts of the

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Muse ...

and the Heysel exhibition park built for the Brussels International Exposition of 1935. The Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan, a central boulevard of the

City of Brussels The City of Brussels (french: Ville de Bruxelles or alternatively ''Bruxelles-Ville'' ; nl, Stad Brussel or ''Brussel-Stad'') is the largest municipality and historical City centre, centre of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, as well a ...

, is named after him, as are primary and secondary schools near

Square Ambiorix In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length ad ...

. There is also a

Place Adolphe Max Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as the neuvième (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is loc ...

which was named in his honour in January 1940, shortly after his death.

Honours

* 1910: Knight Grand cross in the

Order of the Crown of Prussia The Royal Order of the Crown (german: Königlicher Kronen-Orden) was a Prussian order of chivalry. Instituted in 1861 as an honour equal in rank to the Order of the Red Eagle, membership could only be conferred upon commissioned officers (or civ ...

. * 1918: Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold. *1932: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.RD 24.11.1932 *1938: Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion ( cs, Řád Bílého lva) is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia had no civilian decoration for its ...

* Member of the

Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB) is a non-governmental association which promotes and organises science and the arts in Belgium by coordinating the national and international activities of its constituent academies su ...

References

Sources

* Grojean, O., Adolphe Max, in : Le Flambeau, I, 1918, nr. 6, p. 178. * Seyl, A., Un grand citoyen : Adolphe Max, in : Revue de Bruxelles, April 1958, p. III. * Vierset, A., Adolphe Max, in : Cahiers Historiques, Série IV, 1964, nr. 33, p. 83. * Cooremans, Lucien, Adolphe Max, bourgmestre des heures tragiques et des heures glorieuses, in : De 1830 à 1958. Douze bourgmestres libéraux ont fait de Bruxelles une des plus prestigieuses capitales, s.l., s.n., s.d., s.p.

External links

*
Biography of Adolphe Max
at Belgium.be * 1869 births 1939 deaths Mayors of the City of Brussels Belgian Ministers of State Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Free University of Brussels (1834–1969) alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion {{Brussels-politician-stub

Honours

See also

References

Sources

External links