Frans Van Cauwelaert (10 January 1880 – 17 May 1961), 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 ...

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politician and lawyer. Van Cauwelaert was born at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek. He was a member of the

Flemish movement The Flemish Movement ( nl, Vlaamse Beweging) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promo ...

, Professor of psychology at the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

(

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

), mayor of

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(1921–1932), and co-founder of the daily journal ''

De Standaard ''De Standaard'' (meaning ''The Standard'' in English) is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis (formerly Corelio and VUM). It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and F ...

''. He fought for using

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

at the

University of Ghent Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

, together with the Socialist

Camille Huysmans Jean Joseph Camille Huysmans (born as Camiel Hansen 26 May 1871 – 25 February 1968) was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1946 to 1947. Biography He studied German philology at the University of Liège and ...

and the

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Louis Franck. In 1911 they proposed a bill to the Belgian parliament, which originated from

Lodewijk De Raet Lodewijk De Raet (; Brussels, 17 February 1870 – Forest, 24 November 1914) was a Flemish economist and politician. He played an important role in the Flemish movement. He was co-founder of the ''Vlaamsche volkspartij'' (1892), and was a proponen ...

for the usage of Dutch at the University of Ghent instead of French. Frans Van Cauwelaert was a member of 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 ...

from 1910 until his death in 1961. He was appointed

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 ...

in 1931. In the government led by

Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, 1st Count de Broqueville (4 December 1860 – 5 September 1940) was the prime minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. Before 1914 Charles de Broqueville was born into an old noble family with its roots in ...

, Van Cauwelaert was minister for Commerce, Middle Class and Foreign Trade (January–June 1934) and Minister of Agriculture and Economical Affairs (June–November 1934). Van Cauwelaert then served in the government led by

Georges Theunis Georges (George) Emile Léonard Theunis (28 February 1873 – 4 January 1966) was the prime minister of Belgium from 16 December 1921 to 13 May 1925 and again from 20 November 1934 to 25 March 1935. He was governor of the National Bank of Bel ...

as the minister of Agriculture and the Middle class and as minister of Public Works (November 1934 – January 1935), until he resigned due to a financial scandal. From 1939 to 1954, he served as President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. During the Second World War Van Cauwelaert mainly lived in New York . He carried out assignments for the Belgian government in exile in South America and in England . In New York, Van Cauwelaert also thought about post-war European unification and corresponded about it with prominent European thinkers such as Robert Schuman and Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi . In his letters, Van Cauwelaert opposed unbridled European unification, with a full place for Germany. In his view, a unified Europe should keep Germany out and focus primarily on the transatlantic allies England and especially the United States . This anti-German attitude is not surprising, since Van Cauwelaert already had to flee from the German aggression against Belgium during the First World War. He then wrote in full wartime with the enemy image of Nazi Germany in mind. Van Cauwelaert judged that only a united Europe could restrain warlike Germany, but that Germany itself should not be part of that political union. He died in Antwerp. His youngest son

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

became a Catholic bishop and died aged 102 as one of the oldest bishops in the Church.

Sources

* Reginald DE SCHRIJVER, ''Frans van Cauwelaerts' visie op de Vlaamse Beweging'', in: ''Onze Alma Mater'', 1972 * Reginald DE SCHRIJVER, ''Frans van Cauwelaert in zijn gedenkschriften over de jaren 1895–1918'', in: ''Dietsche Warande en Belfort'', 1972 * Th. Luykx and M. Platel, ''Politieke geschiedenis van België'', 2 vol., Kluwer, 1985 * M. VAN MECHELEN, ''De jonge Frans van Cauwelaert, 1880–1910'', licentiaatsverhandeling (onuitgegeven), KU Leuven, 1974. * M. VAN MECHELEN, ''Kroniek van Frans van Cauwelaert, 1880–1961'', 1980 * Leo TINDEMANS, ''Atlantisch Europa. Frans van Cauwelaert en de Europese eenmaking'', 1981 * M. VAN MECHELEN, ''Uit de briefwisseling van Frans van Cauwelaert'', 1985–1986 * Lode WILS, ''De Messias van Vlaanderen. Frans van Cauwelaert, 1880–1961'', 1998 * Lode WILS, ''Frans van Cauwelaert'', in: ''Nieuwe encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging'', Tielt, 1998.

External links

*
Frans Van Cauwelaert
i
ODIS – Online Database for Intermediary Structures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cauwelaert, Frans Van 1880 births 1961 deaths Belgian Ministers of State Belgian newspaper publishers (people) Flemish activists Flemish politicians Belgian activists Politicians of Catholic political parties People from Flemish Brabant Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Belgian expatriates in the United States Mayors of Antwerp, Belgium Flemish lawyers

See also

Sources

External links