- Camille Gutt
Camille Gutt (
Brussels ,14 November 1884 –7 June 1971 ), born "Camille Guttenstein", was a BelgianJewish economist, politician, and industrialist. He served as the first Managing Director of theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) from6 May ,1946 to5 May ,1951 . Camille Gutt was the architect of a monetary reform plan, which facilitated the recovery of the Belgian economy afterWorld War II . He was a son of Max Guttenstein and Marie-Paule Schweitzer. Max Guttenstein had moved to Belgium fromAustria-Hungary in 1877 and became a Belgian citizen in 1886 [ [http://www.epo.be/uitgeverij/extrainfo.php?id=9789064454387-C#noot11 Camille Gutt] ] [ [http://www.nbb.be/pub/07_00_00_00_00/07_07_00_00_00/07_07_08_00_00/07-07-08-01-32.htm?l=en An unusual postcard] ]Education
Born in
Brussels , he goes to highschool at the Royal Athenaeum inIxelles . Camille Gutt obtained a PhD inlaw , a Master degree in political and social sciences at theUniversité Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).Career
Camille Gutt worked in the industry, such as in the
Société Générale de Belgique and "Groupe Empain" and in politics. DuringWorld War I , Camille Gutt worked forGeorges Theunis and again from 1920 until 1924 as his Chief of Cabinet. Later Gutt would also work for the cabinet ofEmile Francqui . Camille Gutt was Minister of Finance ofBelgium in 1934-1935 and 1939-1940, Minister of Finance, Defence, Economics and Traffic in 1940-1942, Minister of Finance and economics in 1942-1943, and Minister of Finance in 1943-1944.He was responsible for saving the
Belgian franc , before and afterWorld War II . Before the war, he saved the Belgian currency by secretly transferring the gold reserves of the Belgian National Bank out ofNazi reach. After the war he stabilized the Belgian franc, and forestalled inflation, with what still is known as the "Gutt operation". Camille Gutt also played a major role in forging theBenelux , and by this contributed to the formation of theEuropean Union .References
ource
* J.-F. Crombois, "Camille Gutt et la création du Fonds monétaire international (1940-1946)"
* J.F. Crombois, "Camille Gutt 1940-1945", Quorum/Ceges-Soma, (2000)
* [http://www.imf.org/external/np/arc/eng/fa/OMD/overview_omd.htm IMF Archives]
* [http://www.lootedartcommission.com/lootedart_brettonwoods.htm United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference Final Act] (Bretton Woods, New Hampshire July 1 to July 22, 1944)
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