Henri "Rik" Joseph Boel (5 September 1931 – 13 November 2020) was a Belgian politician and a judge.

Biography

Henri Boel was born in Tienen on 5 September 1931. In 1954 Boel graduated from the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of ...

as a

Doctor Juris The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

. From 1954 to 1986 Boel was active as a lawyer. In the municipal elections of 1958 Boel was elected a city council member for the BSP in Tienen and served until 1986. He became mayor of the city in 1964 and served until 1976, and again from 1983 to 1986. Boel was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

, and re-elected in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

. From 3 June 1977 to 20 October 1978, Boel served as the

minister of the interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in the government led by

Leo Tindemans Leonard Clemence "Leo" Tindemans (; 16 April 1922 – 26 December 2014) was a Belgian politician. He served as the prime minister of Belgium serving from 25 April 1974 until he resigned as minister on 20 October 1978. He was a member of the Chri ...

, and his successor Paul Vanden Boeynants. Boel became Speaker of the Cultural Council in 1979 (the predecessor of the

Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural communi ...

) and, after it was reformed into the ''Vlaamse Raad'', remained its speaker until December 1981. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Boel was elected to the Belgian Senate. After he was appointed as a judge in the

Court of Arbitration A Court of Arbitration is a court, sometimes outside of the official judicial system of a country, that resolves certain kinds of civil disputes, primarily between industrial or commercial entities, or between employers and employees. The Court o ...

in 1986, Boel resigned all his political mandates. Boel served on the Court from 1986 until his retirement in 2001. From March 2001 until his retirement in September 2001, he served as President of the Dutch linguistic group on the Court. Boel died on 13 November 2020 at home in Tienen.

References

External links

Profile of Henri Boel at the website of the Flemish Parliament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boel, Rik 1931 births 2020 deaths Constitutional Court of Belgium judges 20th-century Belgian judges Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Interior ministers of Belgium Members of the Senate (Belgium) Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Flemish lawyers Mayors of places in Belgium People from Tienen