Henri Louis Baels (18 January 1878 – 14 June 1951), was a
Belgian Catholic Party politician, and
ship-owner from
Ostend.
Early life
Baels was born on 18 January 1878 in
Ostend,
Belgium. He was the son of Julius Ludovicus Baels (1851–1896) and Delphina Alexandrina Maurics (1848–1931), who married in Ostend in January 1876.
Career
He eventually became
Minister of Agriculture, then
Minister of the Interior, and, finally,
Minister of Public Works and Public Health. He crowned his career by becoming
Governor of
West Flanders in 1936. A friend of
King Albert I of the Belgians, and later equally trusted by Albert's son,
King Leopold III of the Belgians, Henri Baels was responsible, among other important public initiatives, for the creation of the
Albert Canal.
Baels was also a great friend of Dom
Marie-Albert van der Cruyssen, the
Abbot of the
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
Monastery of Orval, Belgium, and took a lead in supporting the restoration of the Monastery, a project the Abbot (who was also a highly
decorated Belgian
war hero of
World War I) had undertaken.
[Luc Schepens, ''De provincieraad van West-Vlaanderen (1921-1978)'', Tielt, 1979.]
Personal life
Baels was married to Anne Marie de Visscher (1882–1950), a daughter of Adolphus Gustavus de Visscher and his wife, Alicia Victoria Carolina Opsomer. She was descended from illustrious personages such as the Count Felix de Muelenaere, member of the Belgian National Congress (which founded the Kingdom of Belgium in 1831), and was a three-time Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1831 and 1841. Together, Anne Marie and Henri were the parents of eight children, including:
*
Mary Lilian Baels (1916–2002), who became the second wife of King
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasi ...
.
* Lydia Baels (1920–1990), who married Jean-Jacques Cartier, a son of jeweler
Jacques-Théodule Cartier and the former Nelly
Harjes.
Their other children included Elza Baels, Susanne Baels, Ludwina Baels, Walter Baels, Hermann Baels (who married), and Henry Baels. Baels died on 14 June 1951 in
Knokke, Belgium.
Descendants
Through his daughter Lydia, he was a grandfather of two Viviane Mary Cartier (b.
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
, 22 December 1946) and N. N. Cartier (b.
Dorking
Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...
, 26 April 1948).
References
External links
Henri Baelsi
ODIS - Online Database for Intermediary Structures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baels, Henri
1878 births
1951 deaths
Governors of West Flanders
Politicians from Ostend