Frans Van Cauwelaert, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetFrans Van Cauwelaert
lawyer, politician
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Roosdaal, Flemish Region, Belgium
About Frans Van Cauwelaert
- Frans Van Cauwelaert (10 January 1880 – 17 May 1961), was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician and lawyer. Van Cauwelaert was born at Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek.
- He was a member of the Flemish movement, Professor of psychology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Leuven), mayor of Antwerp (1921-1932), and co-founder of the daily journal De Standaard. He fought for using Dutch at the University of Ghent, together with the Socialist Camille Huysmans and the liberal Louis Franck.
- In 1911 they proposed a bill to the Belgian parliament, which originated from Lodewijk De Raet for the usage of Dutch at the University of Ghent instead of French. Frans Van Cauwelaert was a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives from 1910 until his death in 1961.
- He was appointed Minister of State in 1931.
- In the government led by Charles de Broqueville, Van Cauwelaert was minister for Commerce, Middle Class and Foreign Trade (January–June 1934) and Minister of Agriculture and Economical Affairs (June–November 1934).
- Van Cauwelaert then served in the government led by Georges Theunis as the minister of Agriculture and the Middle class and as minister of Public Works (November 1934-January 1935), until he resigned due to a financial scandal.
- From 1939 to 1954, he served as President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, and lived in exile in New York during the German occupation (May 1940-September 1944). He died in Antwerp. His youngest son Jan became a Catholic bishop and died aged 102 as one of the oldest bishops in the Church.
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