Nicolas Dethier (29 September 1888 – 12 February 1976) 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 language ...

trade unionist and politician. Born in

Beyne-Heusay Beyne-Heusay (; wa, Binne-Heuzea) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Beyne-Heusay had a total population of 11,711. The total area is 7.32 km² which gives a population density of ...

, Dethier left school at the age of twelve and became a coal miner. In 1906, he joined the Federation of Miners of Liege, and in 1908 he became the secretary of his local section of the union. In 1913, he became the full-time secretary of the Miners Union of the Plateau of Herve, then in 1920 he won election as assistant secretary of the newly-founded

Union of Mineworkers of Belgium The Union of Mineworkers of Belgium (french: Centrale syndicale des travailleurs des mines de Belgique, CSTMB; nl, Nationale Centrale der Mijnwerkers van België, NCMB) was a trade union representing coal miners in Belgium. History The union was e ...

. In 1935, he became the secretary of the union, serving until 1958, when he became its treasurer, then in 1960 he won election as its president. In 1954, Dethier was elected as vice-president of the

Miners' International Federation The Miners' International Federation (MIF), sometimes known as the International Federation of Miners, was a global union federation of trade unions. History The federation was established in 1890 at a meeting in Brussels by unions from Austria, ...

, then in 1956 he succeeded as president. Dethier was also politically active, serving on his local council and as mayor. In 1954, he was elected to the general council of the

Belgian Socialist Party nl, Belgische Socialistische Partij , logo = Logo of the Belgian Socialist Party.png , caption = The fist and rose emblem used by the party from 1973. , leader1_title = President , leader1_name = Achille Van Acker (first)André Cools (last) ...

, and from 1954 to 1961 he served as a co-opted member of the

Senate 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 ...

References

1888 births 1976 deaths Belgian Socialist Party politicians Belgian trade unionists Members of the Senate (Belgium) {{Belgium-mayor-stub