Paul-Émile (Paul Emil) Janson (30 May 1872 – 3 March 1944) was a francophone

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 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 ...

politician and the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

from 1937 to 1938. During the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

, he was arrested as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

and died in a German concentration camp in 1944.

Biography

Born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Janson was the son of liberal statesman Paul Janson (died 1913). He studied law at the Free University of Brussels (now split into the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish government. listof all ...

), practised as a lawyer, and also taught at the university.

Political career

Janson was elected as a liberal to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

. He was not re-elected in 1912, but he was again elected in

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

. He held various minister posts including War (1920), Justice (1927–1931; 1932–1934; 1939, 1940) and minister without portfolio (1940–1944). He was made an honorary

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...

in 1931. He served as the 30th Prime Minister of Belgium in 1937–1938. In the early part of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Janson served as Foreign minister, and as minister without portfolio, in the government of

Hubert Pierlot Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (, 23 December 1883 – 13 December 1963) was a Belgian politician and Prime Minister of Belgium, serving between 1939 and 1945. Pierlot, a lawyer and jurist, served in World War I before entering politics in the 192 ...

. He remained in

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when the government in exile moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1943 he was detained by the occupying

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

forces and incarcerated in the Buchenwald concentration camp. He died there in 1944. His sister

Marie Janson Marie Janson (23 July 1873 – 8 March 1960) was a Belgian politician and the first woman to serve in the Belgian senate. She was a daughter of Paul Janson and Anna-Augustine Amoré. Born in Brussels, her father Paul Janson was leading me ...

was the first woman to be elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 1921 and the mother of

Paul-Henri Spaak Paul-Henri Charles Spaak (; 25 January 1899 – 31 July 1972) was an influential Belgian Socialist politician, diplomat and statesman. Along with Robert Schuman, Alcide De Gasperi and Konrad Adenauer he was a leader in the formation of the ...

, Janson's nephew and the man who directly succeeded him as Prime Minister in 1938.

Honours

* Minister of state, by Royal Decree. * Commander in the Order of Leopold.RD 15.11.1921

Commemoration

* A street in

Ixelles (French, ) or ( Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munic ...

is named ''Rue Paul Emile Janson'' in his honour. * The Université Libre de Bruxelles has an auditorium named after him. * a subway (metro) station in Charleroi is named after him.

References

Sources

* D'Ydewalle, Ch., Silhouettes politiques : Paul-Emile Janson, in : Revue Générale, LXII, 1929, p. 86–90. * Miroir, A., in : Parisel, W., Histoire de La Loge ''Les Vrais amis de l'Union et du Progrès Réunis'' 1892–1980, Brussel, 1980, p. 283–285. * Stengers, J., Paul-Emile Janson, in : Académie Royale de Belgique, Bulletin de la Commission des Lettres et des Sciences Morales et Politiques, 5e série, LIX, 1973–1976, p. 202–281.

External links

Paul-Emile Janson
at Liberaal Archief
Paul-Emile Janson
at the Prime Minister's Office {{DEFAULTSORT:Janson, Paul-Emile 1872 births 1944 deaths Belgian Ministers of State Belgian people who died in Buchenwald concentration camp Free University of Brussels (1834–1969) alumni Politicians who died in Nazi concentration camps Prime Ministers of Belgium Belgian civilians killed in World War II Members of the Belgian government in exile Politicians from Brussels Belgian Ministers of Defence