Minister of the Colonies (Belgium)

The Belgian Minister of the Colonies (French: Ministre des Colonies, Dutch: Minister van Koloniën) was a Belgian parliamentarian who was responsible for the territories of the colonial empire in Central Africa from 1908 to 1962, comprising the colony of the Belgian Congo (1908–60) and the international mandate of Ruanda-Urundi (1916–62). The exact title was changed on several occasions.

Minister of the Colonies
Ministre des Colonies (French) Minister van Koloniën (Dutch)
Longest serving Jules Renkin 30 October 1908 – 21 November 1918
Member of	the Council of Ministers
Seat	Hôtels de Coudenberg
Nominator	the Prime Minister
Appointer	the Monarch
Formation	30 October 1908
First holder	Jules Renkin
Final holder	Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden
Abolished	27 March 1961

Ministerial title

For most of the existence of the post, office holders were known as "Minister of the Colonies" (Ministre des Colonies or Minister van Koloniën). From the accession of Maurits Van Hemelrijck [nl] in November 1958, however, the ministerial title changed to "Minister of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi" (Ministre du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi or Minister van Belgisch-Congo en Ruanda-Urundi).^[1] On 30 June 1960, with the independence of the Belgian Congo, the title changed to "Minister of African Affairs" (Ministre des affaires africaines or Minister van afrikaanse zaken) whose only office holders were August de Schryver and Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden.^[2]

In addition to official colonial ministers, two individuals served as ministers without portfolio with a colonial brief between 1959 and 1960. Raymond Scheyven was "Minister without portfolio, charged with the economic and financial affairs of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi"^[a] while Walter Ganshof van der Meersch was "Minister without portfolio, charged with general affairs in Africa".^[b][1]

List of ministers

The following is a list of ministers, cited by historian Guy Vanthemsche in his book Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980:^[2]

Political parties

Christian Democrat

  Catholic Party, later:
  Christian Social Party

Liberal

  Liberal Party

Socialist

  Belgian Socialist Party

Portrait		Name	Term of office			Political party	Prime Minister	Monarch (Reign)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Jules Renkin	30 October 1908	21 November 1918	10 years, 22 days	Catholic Party	Frans Schollaert Charles de Broqueville Gérard Cooreman	Albert I (1909–34)
		Louis Franck	21 November 1918	11 March 1924	5 years, 111 days	Liberal Party	Léon Delacroix Henri Carton de Wiart Georges Theunis
		Henri Carton de Tournai	11 March 1924	20 May 1926	2 years, 70 days	Catholic Party	Georges Theunis Aloys Van de Vyvere Prosper Poullet
		Maurice Houtart (First term)	20 May 1926	15 November 1926	179 days	Catholic Party	Henri Jaspar
		Édouard Pecher[c]	16 November 1926	27 December 1926	41 days	Liberal Party	Henri Jaspar
		Maurice Houtart (Second term)	29 December 1926	18 January 1927	20 days	Catholic Party	Henri Jaspar
		Henri Jaspar (First term)	18 January 1927	19 October 1929	2 years, 274 days	Catholic Party	Own government
		Paul Tschoffen [nl] (First term)	19 October 1929	24 December 1929	66 days	Catholic Party	Henri Jaspar
		Henri Jaspar (Second term)	27 February 1930	18 June 1931	1 year, 111 days	Catholic Party	Own government
		Paul Charles [nl]	18 May 1931	16 August 1931	90 days	Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic)	Henri Jaspar Jules Renkin
		Paul Crokaert [nl]	6 June 1931	25 May 1932	354 days	Catholic Party	Jules Renkin
		Paul Tschoffen (Second term)	23 May 1932	13 November 1934	2 years, 174 days	Catholic Party	Jules Renkin Charles de Broqueville
		Paul Charles (Second term)	20 November 1934	25 March 1935	125 days	Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic)	Georges Theunis
		Edmond Rubbens [nl] [c]	25 March 1935	27 April 1938	3 years, 33 days	Catholic Party	Paul van Zeeland Paul-Émile Janson	Leopold III (1934–44)
		Albert De Vleeschauwer (First term)	15 May 1938	22 February 1939	283 days	Catholic Party	Paul-Henri Spaak
		Gaston Heenen [nl]	21 February 1939	16 April 1939	54 days	Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic)	Hubert Pierlot
		Albert De Vleeschauwer (Second term)	16 April 1939	31 January 1945	5 years, 290 days	Catholic Party	Hubert Pierlot
		Edgard De Bruyne [fr]	12 February 1945	16 June 1945	124 days	Catholic Party	Achille Van Acker	Prince Charles Regent (1944–50)
		Robert Godding [nl] (First term)	2 August 1945	18 February 1946	200 days	Liberal Party	Achille Van Acker
		Lode Craeybeckx	13 March 1946	20 March 1946	7 days	Belgian Socialist Party	Paul-Henri Spaak
		Robert Godding (Second term)	31 March 1946	11 March 1947	345 days	Liberal Party	Achille Van Acker Camille Huysmans
		Pierre Wigny	20 March 1947	12 August 1950	3 years, 145 days	Christian Social Party	Paul-Henri Spaak Gaston Eyskens Jean Duvieusart
		André Dequae [nl]	15 August 1950	12 April 1954	3 years, 240 days	Christian Social Party	Gaston Eyskens Jean Duvieusart Joseph Pholien Jean Van Houtte	Baudouin (1950–93)
		Auguste Buisseret [fr]	23 April 1954	2 June 1958	4 years, 40 days	Liberal Party	Achille Van Acker Gaston Eyskens
		Léo Pétillon[d]	5 July 1958	6 November 1958	124 days	Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic)	Gaston Eyskens
		Maurice Van Hemelrijck [fr]	6 November 1958	2 September 1959	300 days	Christian Social Party	Gaston Eyskens
		August De Schryver	3 September 1959	2 September 1960	365 days	Christian Social Party	Gaston Eyskens
		Raymond Scheyven[a]	17 November 1959	2 September 1960	290 days	Christian Social Party	Gaston Eyskens
		Walter Ganshof van der Meersch[b]	16 May 1960	20 July 1960	65 days	Extra-Parliamentary	Gaston Eyskens
		Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden	2 September 1960	27 March 1961	206 days	Christian Social Party	Gaston Eyskens

See also

• Belgium portal
• History portal

• Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs
• Bibliothèque Africaine, overseen by the ministry starting in 1908
• Archives Africaines (Belgium), containing 5 km of colonial ministry-related records^[4]
• List of prime ministers of Belgium
• List of Belgian monarchs
• List of heads of state of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• List of presidents of Burundi
• List of presidents of Rwanda

Notes

1. Scheyven held the unique position of Minister without portfolio, charged with the economic and financial affairs of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi (Ministre sans portefeuille, chargé des Affaires économiques et financières du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi or Minister zonder portefeuille, belast met de economische en financiële zaken van Belgisch-Kongo en Ruanda-Urundi).
2. Ganshof van der Meersch held the unique ministerial position of "Minister without portfolio, charged with general affairs in Africa (Ministre sans portefeuille, chargé des affaires générales en Afrique or minister zonder portefeuille, belast met de algemene zaken in Afrika).
3. Both Édouard Pecher and Edmond Rubbens died in office.^[3]
4. A career civil servant in the colonial service, Pétillon had previously served as Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 1952 to 1958.

References

1. Vanthemsche 2012, p. 275.
2. Vanthemsche 2012, pp. 273–5.
3. Vanthemsche 2012, pp. 273–4.
4. "As from 2015 the FPS Foreign Affairs transfers the so-called 'Africa Archives' to the State Archives". Arch.be. 11 December 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017.

Bibliography

• Vanthemsche, Guy (2012). Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-19421-1.
• Vanhove, Julien (1968). Histoire du Ministère des Colonies (PDF). Brussels: Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences.