- Camille Huysmans
Jean Joseph Camille Huysmans (26 May 1871 - 23 February 1968, born as Camiel Hansen) was a Flemish-
Belgium politician .Huymans studied German
philology at theUniversity of Liege . He was a teacher from 1893 until 1897. In between these years he studied for hisdoctorate in German philology.Huysmans joined the
Belgische Werkliedenpartij (BWP), the predecessor of theBelgische Socialistische Partij (BSP) at a young age. He became a journalist for manysocialist periodicals until 1904 en was thereafter active in the labor unions.Between 1905 and 1922 Huysmans was secretary of the Second International. In that function he had many contacts with
Sun Yat-sen , the leader of the first Chineserevolution , in 1911. His main task was creating an active peace function. At the Socialist Conference inStockholm in 1917 he pleaded against continuing the war.He was a fighter for the
flemish movement and fought for using Dutch at theUniversity of Ghent . As "Minister of Arts and Education" he could pave the way for the Dutch language. In 1911 he proposed a bill, drafted byLodewijk De Raet , together with theRoman Catholic Frans Van Cauwelaert and the liberalLouis Franck for the usage of Flemish at the University of Ghent. However, due toWorld War I , the University of Ghent would become a Flemish university in 1930.In
World War II he fled toLondon . He regained the function as secretary between 1939 and 1944, also as acting chairman. After WWII (at age 75) he becamePrime Minister and led a government of socialists, liberals and communists. With an insufficient majority, this government lasted not long. In the next government, he was Minister of Education.He remained very popular until old age. The national tribute for his 80th birthday attracted 100,000 visitors. At the age of 83 he became chairman of the
Chamber of Representatives (lower house). He was afreemason , and a member of the lodge "Les Amis Philanthropes " of theGrand Orient of Belgium in Brussels.Functions
*councillor in
Brussels (1908-1921)
*educationSchepen ofAntwerp (1921-1933)
*mayor of Antwerp (1933-1940 and 1944-1946)
*councillor in Antwerp (1946-1968)
*member of the lower house (1910-1965)
*chairman of the lower house (1936-1939 and 1954-1958)
*Minister of Arts and Education (1925-1927)
*Prime Minister (1946-1947)
*Minister of Education (1947-1949)Correspondence with Lenin
In his first term as secretary of the Second International he corresponded with Lenin between 1905 and 1914. The letters were published in 1963.
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