François Xavier Brasseur (19 October 1865 – 4 July 1912) was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

ian politician and jurist. Brasseur was educated at the

Athénée de Luxembourg The Athénée de Luxembourg ( en, Luxembourg Athenaeum), is a high school situated in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. Throughout the school's history of more than 400 years, the name was changed repeatedly. It's nowadays commonly called ...

, graduating in 1884. Afterwards, he studied law, graduating on 17 June 1890, and began practising in 1894.Mersch (1959), p. 61 He worked for his uncle Alexis's steelworks as legal counsel. On 5 January 1897, Brasseur stood as the liberal candidate against the socialist

Michel Welter Dr. Michel Welter (21 March 1859, Heiderscheid – 22 April 1924) was a Luxembourgian politician, and former leader of the Socialist Party. A member of Luxembourg's Chamber of Deputies, he served as the Director-General for Agriculture, Commerce, ...

in partial elections in

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (; lb, Esch-Uelzecht ; german: Esch an der Alzette or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, . It lies ...

. After the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...

was founded in 1902, Brasseur joined them, and stood in the elections of 7 April 1902 in Esch as a 'democratic' candidate, being elected to the

Chamber Chamber or the chamber may refer to: In government and organizations * Chamber of commerce, an organization of business owners to promote commercial interests *Legislative chamber, in politics * Debate chamber, the space or room that houses delib ...

(along with Welter and three other Socialist candidates). Brasseur consistently introduced legislation expanding Esch's prestige in the country, including the creation of a new district tribunal in Esch (along with those in

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Gr ...

and Diekirch) and the creation of an industrial school in the town; both were defeated.Mersch (1959), p. 62 More successful was his effort to create a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way in Esch, which was passed, but only after his death. In 1908, the Socialists and the Liberal League formed their famous 'Left Bloc' (french: Bloc des Gauches), and Brasseur was returned as a deputy again, with seven other socialists. His political involvement wasn't limited to Esch. Brasseur, as one of the most prominent socialists in the country, was appointed to run for, and was elected to, the communal council of

, along with Jean-Pierre Probst and

Luc Housse Jean-Pierre Lucas Housse (24 February 1871 – 18 May 1930), known as Luc Housse, was a Luxembourgish politician that served as Mayor of Luxembourg City between 1918 and 1920. During his stint as mayor, the commune of Luxembourg was expanded to ...

, in 1904. Despite his commitment to Esch's development and his attack on the succession of Marie-Adélaïde to the

grand duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in the o ...

, Brasseur's main political preoccupation was with the introduction of

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stan ...

and the promotion of education for girls. In this, he was influenced by his wife, Jeanne de Saint-Hubert (sister of

Aline Mayrisch de Saint-Hubert Aline Mayrisch de Saint-Hubert née de Saint-Hubert (22 August 1874 – 20 January 1947) was a Luxembourg women's rights campaigner, socialite, philanthropist. Mayrisch established many non-governmental organisations and was President of the Lu ...

), whom he had married on 25 May 1893 and divorced on 17 December 1910. Xavier was a member of the prominent

Brasseur family The Brasseur family is a family in Luxembourg that was prominent in politics and industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The head of the household was Alexis Brasseur, who had thirteen children by two wives. This second gene ...

. His father,

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, was a famous industrialist. His uncle, Dominique, was a deputy (1866 – 99) and

mayor of Luxembourg City The Mayor of Luxembourg City is the mayor of Luxembourg's capital and largest city, Luxembourg City. The officeholder, like other mayors in Luxembourg, is appointed by the Grand Duke amongst council members. Due to the city's importance within the ...

(1891 – 94). Dominique's son, and Xavier's cousin,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

deputy and member of Luxembourg City's council at the same time as Xavier (and until 1925). In 1914, Robert married Jeanne, whom the late Xavier had divorced four years previously.Mersch (1959), p. 105

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brasseur, Xavier Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg from Esch-sur-Alzette Councillors in Luxembourg City Luxembourgian politicians Xavier Brasseur 1865 births 1912 deaths People from Luxembourg City Alumni of the Athénée de Luxembourg