Joris or Georges Helleputte (1852 – 1925) was a Belgian politician and neo-Gothicist architect. He served as Minister of Agriculture and Public Works and Minister of Railways, Post and Telegraphs.

Early life and education

Helleputte was born to a Catholic family. His father was Petrus Helleputte and his mother was Florentine Detemmerman. He graduated from

Ghent University 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 th ...

as a bridge and road engineer.

Architectural career

Helleputte became a professor of architecture at the Catholic University of Leuven, teaching architects like Raymond Lemaire and Raphaël Verwilghen. He collaborated on projects with Theodoor Van Dormael. He founded the Leuven Guild of Craft and Commerce, co-founded the

Boerenbond The Boerenbond (Dutch, or german: Bauernbund; literally "Farmers' League") is a professional association of farmers active in the Flemish and German-speaking communities of Belgium. Founded in 1890 and based in Leuven, the Boerenbond is an orga ...

in 1890, and helped found the Belgian Volksbond. He was also a member of the Royal Commission for Monuments.

Political career

Helleputte represented

Maaseik Maaseik (; li, Mezeik) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limb ...

in the Chamber of Representatives from 1889 until 1924. From 1901 until 1910, he was Minister of Railways, Post and Telegraphs. He then became Minister of Agriculture and Public Works from 1910 until 1918. He went with the exiled Belgian government to

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

in 1914.

Personal life

In 1882, Helleputte married Louise Schollaert, the sister of prime minister

Frans Schollaert François (Frans) Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert (19 August 1851 – 29 June 1917) was a Belgian Catholic Party politician. Born in Wilsele, Schollaert trained as a lawyer and practiced in Leuven. He served as head of the Flemish farme ...

, and they had no children. His brother-in-law was

Louis Cloquet Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

, the Belgian architect.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helleputte, Joris Belgian politicians Belgian architects Ghent University alumni 1852 births 1925 deaths