Émile Francqui (; 25 June 1863 – 1 November 1935) was a Belgian soldier,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

, businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Career

Émile Francqui was sent to a military school when he was just 15 years old. At the age of 21, like many young officers, he was sent to

Congo Free State The Congo Free State, also known as the Independent State of the Congo (), was a large Sovereign state, state and absolute monarchy in Central Africa from 1885 to 1908. It was privately owned by Leopold II of Belgium, King Leopold II, the const ...

by king

Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...

. In 1896, he became the Belgian consul in

Imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

and stayed there until 1902. In China he met the future American president

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

during negotiations concerning the granting of the Hankow-Canton railroad concession in China in 1901. Although they were competitors, they respected each other very much and became friends. Francqui returned to Belgium in 1902, and began a financial career. He became the managing director of the Banque d'Outremer, and managing director of the

Union Minière du Haut Katanga Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

(UMHK). Ten years after his return to Belgium, he became Director of the

Société Générale de Belgique The ' (, ; often referred to in Belgium simply as "Société Générale" or SGB) was an investment bank and, subsequently, an industrial and financial conglomerate in Belgium between 1822 and 2003. It has been described as the world's first u ...

, and in 1932 became its Governor. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was President of the Belgian Comité National de Secours et d'Alimentation (National Aid and Food Committee, abbreviated to CNSA). During World War I, Herbert Hoover in the United States set up the

Commission for Relief in Belgium The Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB, or simply Belgian Relief) was an international, predominantly American, organization that arranged for the supply of food to German-occupied Belgium and northern France during the First World War. It ...

(CRB) to support the CNSA abroad. After the war the remaining resources of the committee were decided to be used for the rebuilding of Belgium. Émile Francqui wanted to invest in the universities as a means for rebuilding the country. In 1920 the

University Foundation The Belgian University Foundation (French: ''Fondation Universitaire''; Dutch: ''Universitaire Stichting'') was founded in 1920. The goal of the Foundation, as was put forward by Émile Francqui, Emile Francqui, is to promote scientific activity a ...

was founded by Émile Francqui. In addition the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) was founded for the exchange of students between Belgium and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Émile Francqui was involved, with Félicien Cattier, in the establishment of the '' Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique'' (FNRS). In April 1924, Émile Francqui participated in the creation of the

Dawes Plan The Dawes Plan temporarily resolved the issue of the reparations that Germany owed to the Allies of World War I. Enacted in 1924, it ended the crisis in European diplomacy that occurred after French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr in re ...

to find a solution for the collection of the German reparations debt following World War I. The future king, Leopold III, requested Francqui take steps to improve the health of the population Belgian Congo, leading to the foundation Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine in 1931 of which Francqui served as first President. In 1932 Émile Francqui and Herbert Hoover created the Francqui Foundation for the support of basic research in Belgium.

Honours

* 1918: Grand Officer on the Order of Leopold.RD 8/12/1918 * 1926: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold.

References

External links

Francqui Fondation

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Francqui, Emile 1863 births 1935 deaths Military personnel from Brussels Belgian soldiers Diplomats from Brussels Businesspeople from Brussels Belgian abolitionists Société Générale de Belgique Ministers of state of Belgium Belgian civil servants Congo Free State officials Belgian relief in World War I

Career

Honours

See also

References

External links