Charles-Gérard Eyschen (2 June 1800 – 28 September 1859) was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

ish politician and jurist. An Orangist,Mersch (1953), p. 81 Eyschen served in the cabinet of

Charles-Mathias Simons Charles-''Mathias'' Simons (27 March 1802 – 5 October 1874)Thewes (2011), p. 27 was a Luxembourgish politician and jurist. He was served as prime minister of Luxembourg for seven years, from 1853 until 1860. He received his Doctorate of L ...

as Director-General for Justice. Born in Baschleiden in 1800,Mersch (1953), p. 78 Eyschen became a lawyer. In 1826, he earned his doctorate in law from the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

, and in 1829, he obtained a doctorate in philosophy, also at Liège.Mersch (1953), p. 79 He became a judge on the Court of First Instance in

Diekirch Diekirch (; ; or (locally) ; from ''Diet-Kirch'', i.e. "people's church") is a Communes of Luxembourg, commune with List of towns in Luxembourg, town status in north-eastern Luxembourg, in the Diekirch (canton), canton of Diekirch and, until its ...

, but resigned the following year, when he moved to

Luxembourg City Luxembourg (; ; ), also known as Luxembourg City ( or ; ; or ), is the capital city of Luxembourg and the Communes of Luxembourg, country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxe ...

.Mersch (1953), p. 80 He returned to the judiciary in 1832, becoming judge on the Court of First Instance in Luxembourg City. He became President of the Arrondissement Tribunal in Diekirch in 1840, and transferred to the same (but more prestigious) position in Luxembourg City in 1842. He was appointed to the judiciary's

supreme court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, the Superior Court of Justice, in 1843. He failed to be elected to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

that drafted the grand duchy's first

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

in 1848. However, he was subsequently elected to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, which the Constitution established and which succeeded the Constituent Assembly, representing

Echternach Echternach (, ; or locally ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. History The town grew around the Abbey of Echt ...

from 1848 to 1854 and

Clervaux Clervaux (; or locally ; ) is a commune and town in northern Luxembourg, situated in the canton of the same name. The town's arms, granted in 1896, show three blackbirds on a gold ground in the chief of a red shield, as a variation of the a ...

from 1854. Eyschen became a minister as Director-General for Justice in the administration of

.Mersch (1953), p. 83 He played a crucial role in the so-called ' Coup of 1856', in which the

King-Grand Duke The designation of King-Grand Duke was held by the three monarchs of the House of Orange-Nassau that ruled Luxembourg and the Netherlands in personal union, between 1815 and 1890. These monarchs thus held the titles of King of the Netherlands and G ...

greatly expanded his power and established the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

. The following year, Eyschen left the ministry, and returned to being a judge.Mersch (1953), p. 84 Eyschen died two years later, after a long illness.Mersch (1953), p. 85 He married Marie-Christine Wurth (1804–1846) in 1832, who had five children by Eyschen before her death. Two of these children died in infancy, but one,

Paul Eyschen Paul Eyschen (9 September 1841 – 11 October 1915) was a Luxembourgish politician, statesman, lawyer, and diplomat. He was the longest-serving prime minister of Luxembourg, serving for twenty-seven years, from 1888 until his death in 1915. ...

, would be

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

for twenty-seven years. He remarried to Wurth's cousin, Jeanne-Françoise Wurth (1809–1883), in 1850.

Footnotes

References

* Ministers for justice of Luxembourg Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg Luxembourgian Orangists Independent politicians in Luxembourg 19th-century Luxembourgian judges Alumni of the Athénée de Luxembourg 1800 births 1859 deaths Boulaide 19th-century Luxembourgian politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) {{Luxembourg-politician-stub