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About Joseph Van Belleghem
- Joseph Gustave Van Belleghen (September 6, 1901 in St.
- Vital, Manitoba – January 5, 1967) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada.
- He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Liberal-Progressive from 1949 to 1953.The son of Désiré Van Belleghem and Louise Bossuyt, Van Belleghem was educated at the École Provencher and St.
- Boniface College.
- He worked as an accountant for the Canadian National Railway and then operated a hotel at St.
- Boniface in partnership with his brother for several years.
- In 1929, Van Belleghem married Clara Ysenbaert.
- He served as an alderman in St.
- Boniface for eighteen years between 1931 and 1965.Van Belleghem was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1949 provincial election for the two-member constituency of St.
- Boniface, which elected members by a single transferable ballot.
- Van Belleghem finished first in this poll, with CCF leader Edwin Hansford finishing second.
- In 1952, he was the only member of the Liberal-Progressive caucus to support an electoral reform bill which attempted to correct the under-representation of urban members. Van Belleghem initially planned to contest the Liberal-Progressive nomination in St.
- Boniface again in the 1953 election, but withdrew from the race after complaints that his campaign was not being informed of meeting times.
- He sought re-election as an Independent Liberal-Progressive and was defeated, placing third on the first count and falling to fourth on transfers. He was later elected Mayor of St.
- Boniface, serving from 1955 to 1960.
- Fluent in Dutch and French, he was appointed Belgian Consul for Manitoba in 1964 and held this position until his death.He died in St.
- Boniface.An "École Van Belleghem" was opened in Winnipeg shortly after his death.
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