Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (6 January 1787 – 11 February 1871)Thewes (2011), p. 15 was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

ish

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and jurist. He led the Orangist movement and was the first

Prime Minister of Luxembourg german: Premierminister von Luxemburg , insignia = Lesser CoA luxembourg.svg , insigniasize = 100px , insigniacaption = Lesser coat of arms of Luxembourg , insigniaalt = , flag ...

, serving for four months, from 1 August 1848 until 6 December of the same year. From 1807 to 1810 he studied law in Paris and in the same year became a lawyer in Luxembourg City. In 1816 he became a member of the ''États provinciaux''. When the Belgian Revolution broke out, he supported

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, and was appointed to the government commission that controlled Luxembourg City. From 1841 to 1848 he was the governor of the Grand-Duchy. On 1 August 1848 he became the first head of government of Luxembourg and was also responsible for the areas of foreign affairs, justice, and culture. The government fell on 2 December 1849. De la Fontaine was from 1849 to 1851 a member of the council of Luxembourg City. In 1857 he was appointed the first president of the newly established Council of State, which he remained for 11 years. His third son, Edmond, better known by his pen name 'Dicks', became Luxembourg's

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...

, and one of the fathers of Luxembourgian literature. His two other sons were the botanist Léon de la Fontaine and the zoologist Alphonse de la Fontaine.

Honours

*Knight of the "Lion néerlandais" *Grand Cross of the

Order of the Oak Crown The Order of the Oak Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne de chêne, german: Eichenlaubkronenorden, lb, Eechelaafkrounenuerden) is an order of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. History The Order of the Oak Crown was established in 1841 by Gran ...

*Commander of the Order of Leopold

Notes

References

* , - , - , - Prime Ministers of Luxembourg Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Ministers for Justice of Luxembourg Councillors in Luxembourg City Presidents of the Council of State of Luxembourg Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg Independent politicians in Luxembourg Luxembourgian Orangists 19th-century Luxembourgian lawyers 1787 births 1871 deaths People from Luxembourg City Alumni of the Athénée de Luxembourg {{Luxembourg-politician-stub

Honours

See also

Notes

References