Laurent Merchiers (9 June 1904 – 5 February 1986) 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 ...

liberal politician, lawyer, and a professor 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 ...

. He was mayor of Ghent in a liberal-socialist coalition from 1953 to 1958. Laurent Merchiers was a member of

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

and

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

(1955–1971), and minister of justice (1958–1960). He resigned as a minister after the Congo crisis.

Sources

Laurent Merchiers
(Liberal archive) 1904 births 1986 deaths Flemish politicians People from Zottegem Ghent University faculty Mayors of Ghent {{Belgium-mayor-stub