Paul-Émile (Paul Emil) Janson (30 May 1872 – 3 March 1944) was a francophone Belgian liberal politician who served as the

Prime Minister of Belgium The prime minister of Belgium (; ; ) or the premier of Belgium is the head of the federal government of Belgium, and the most powerful person in Belgian politics. The first head of government in Belgian history was Henri van der Noot in 179 ...

from 1937 to 1938. During the German occupation, 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 ...

and died in a German concentration camp in 1944.

Biography

Born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Janson was the son of liberal statesman

Paul Janson Paul Janson (11 April 1840 – 19 April 1913) was a Belgium, Belgian liberalism, liberal politician.Jean Francis ''Mes belges années'' 1974 "Paul Janson ne demeura que quatre ans dans la cité liégeoise car sa famille vint s'établir à I ...

(died 1913). He studied law at the Free University of Brussels (now split into the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

and the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...

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

Political career

Janson was elected as a liberal to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (; ; ) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to be the "lower house" of the Federal Parliament. Members and elections Article 62 o ...

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

. He was not re-elected in

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

, but he was again elected in

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

. He held various minister posts including War (1920), Justice (1927–1931; 1932–1934; 1939, 1940) and

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

(1940–1944). He was made an honorary

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 France when the government in exile moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1943 he was detained by the occupying German forces and incarcerated in

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; 'beech forest') was a German Nazi concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Nazi Germany, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within the Altreich (pre-1938 ...

. He died there in 1944. His sister Marie Janson 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 who thrice served as the prime minister of Belgium and later as the second secretary general of NATO. Nicknam ...

, 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 language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...

is named ''Rue Paul Emile Janson'' in his honour. * The

has an auditorium named after him. * a subway (metro) station in

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

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 Ministers of state of Belgium 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 Ministers of defence of Belgium