The Liberal Party was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 political party that existed from 1846 until 1961, when it became the Party for Freedom and Progress

Party for Freedom and Progress

The Party for Freedom and Progress was a liberal party in Belgium which existed from 1961 until 1992 and was the successor of the Liberal Party, which had roots dating back to 1846. It was succeeded in Flanders by the Flemish Liberals and Democrats and in Wallonia by the Parti Réformateur...

, Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang/Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès or PVV-PLP, under the leadership of Omer Vanaudenhove

Omer Vanaudenhove

Omer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove was a Belgian liberal politician, burgomaster and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory...

.

History

The Liberal Party was founded in 1846 and as such was the first political party of Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Walthère Frère-Orban wrote the first charter for the new party. From 1887 until 1900, The Progressive Party

Progressive Party (Belgium)

The Progressive Party of Belgium was a progressive Liberal party which existed from 1887 until 1900.-History:After the defeat of the Liberal party in the general elections of 1884 the doctrinarian faction continued to dominate the Belgian Liberal party. However, the progressistes or radicals no...

 (French: Parti Progressiste, Dutch: Progressieve Partij) existed as a separate progressive Liberal party.

Presidents

• 1920 - 1921 : Albert Mechelynck
  Albert Mechelynck
  Albert Josse Louis Mechelynck was a Belgian liberal politician. He was a son of Louis Mechelynck and Pauline Delehaye, daughter of the former mayor of Ghent, Judocus Delehaye...
  
  
• 1924 - 1926 : Edouard Pécher
  Edouard Pécher
  Edouard Gustave Charles Marie Pécher was a Belgian lawyer and liberal politician. He was president of the Liberal Party from 1921 until 1926....
  
  
• 1927 - 1933 : Albert Devèze
  Albert Devèze
  Albert Joseph Charles Devèze was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of parliament for the district of Brussels and for the district of Verviers...
  
  
• 1933 - 1934 : Octave Dierckx
  Octave Dierckx
  Octave Victor Anna Dierckx was a Belgian liberal and politician. Dierckx was a doctor in law and a lawyer.-Political career:* municipality Council member in Elsene* 1929 - 1955: senator...
  
  
• 1935 - 1936 : Léon Dens
  Léon Dens
  Léon Pierre Alphonse Dens was a Belgian liberal politician and shipowner.-Political career:* 1925–1940: senator for the district Antwerp* 1931–1932: minister of defense...
  
  
• 1936 - 1937 : Victor de Laveleye
  Victor de Laveleye
  Victor Auguste de Laveleye was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. De Laveleye was a doctor in law. He was municipality Council member of Sint-Gillis, President of the Liberal Party and Liberal member of parliament for the district Brussels...
  
  
• 1937 - 1940 : Emile Coulonvaux
  Emile Coulonvaux
  Emile Maurice Léon Coulonvaux was a Belgian liberal lawyer and politician. Coulonvaux was doctor in law and a lawyer. He became an alderman in Dinant and was also liberal senator and President of the Liberal Party in 1937-1940.-Source:*...
  
  
• 1940 - 1945 : Jane Brigode
  Jane Brigode
  Jane Brittle was a Belgian liberal and politician. From 1940 until 1945 she was co-president of the Liberal Party...
  
   and Fernand Demets
  Fernand Demets
  Fernand Charles Gustave Demets was a Belgian liberal politician, burgomaster and minister. Demets was industrialist and became municipality Council member and burgomaster in Anderlecht and liberal senator in the district Brussels. Demets was co-president of the Liberal Party...
  
   (co-presidency)
• 1945 - 1953 : Roger Motz
  Roger Motz
  Roger Jean Henri Motz was a Belgian liberal and politician. Motz was a mine-engineer and governor of companies...
  
  
• 1953 - 1954 : Henri Liebaert
  Henri Liebaert
  Henri Marcel Hector Liebaert was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Liebaert was an industrialist and editor of the French-speaking Flemish daily La Flandre Libéral. He was a member of parliament and senator and President of the Liberal Party...
  
  
• 1954 - 1958 : Maurice Destenay
  Maurice Destenay
  Maurice Jean Léon Destenay was a Belgian liberal politician and burgomaster. Destenay was a teacher and pedagogue and became the founder and director of the monthly magazine Action Libérale. He became alderman and burgomaster in Liege and a member of parliament in the district of Liege...
  
  
• 1958 - 1961 : Roger Motz
  Roger Motz
  Roger Jean Henri Motz was a Belgian liberal and politician. Motz was a mine-engineer and governor of companies...
  
  
• 1961 : Omer Vanaudenhove
  Omer Vanaudenhove
  Omer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove was a Belgian liberal politician, burgomaster and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory...
  
  

Notable members

• Jules Bara
  Jules Bara
  Jules Bara was a Belgian statesman and liberal politician.-Early years:He was born at Tournai and pursued the study of law in his native town, showing remarkable intellectual gifts and a fine power of oratory.-Career:...
  
  
• Gustave Boël
  Gustave Boël
  Gustave André Boël was a Belgian industrialist and liberal politician. He was the father of Pol Clovis Boël.-Career:...
  
   (1837-1912), industrialist
• Charles Buls
  Charles Buls
  Charles Buls or Karel Buls was a Belgian politician and former mayor of the City of Brussels.-Early life:...
  
  , mayor of Brussels (1881-1899)
• Eugène Defacqz
  Eugène Defacqz
  Henri-Eugene-Marie Defacqz was a Belgian liberal politician and a magistrate.-Education:He started his education at the college of Ath and completed high school in Dijon, under the direction of the famous Joseph Jacotot , his uncle by marriage...
  
  
• François-Philippe de Haussy
  François-Philippe de Haussy
  François Philippe Louis Hyacinthe Joseph de Haussy was a Belgian businessman, liberal politician and civil servant. He was Belgian minister of justice from 1847 until 1850....
  
  , (1789-1869), first governor of the National Bank of Belgium
  National Bank of Belgium
  The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850...
  
  
• Constant de Kerchove de Denterghem
  Constant de Kerchove de Denterghem
  Count Constant de Kerchove de Denterghem was a Belgian liberal politician. He was a son of Jean de Kerchove and Sabine della Faille d'Assenede, both descendants of Flemish nobility...
  
  
• Walthère Frère-Orban
• Charles Graux
  Charles Graux
  Charles Alexandre Louis Graux was a Belgian lawyer, professor at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, an authority on stichometry and liberal politician....
  
  
• Paul Hymans
  Paul Hymans
  Paul Louis Adrien Henri Hymans , was a Belgian politician associated with the Liberal Party. He was the first President of the League of Nations, and served again as its president in 1932-33....
  
  , first President of the League of Nations
  League of Nations
  The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
  
  
• Paul Janson
  Paul Janson
  Paul Janson was a Belgian liberal politician.Born in Herstal, Janson studied philosophy and law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. From an early age he was a strong supporter of electoral reform and stood on the progressive wing of the Belgian liberal movement...
  
  
• Paul-Émile Janson
  Paul-Emile Janson
  Paul-Emile Janson was a Belgian liberal politician.Born in Brussels, Janson was the son of liberal statesman Paul Janson . He studied law at the Free University of Brussels , practised as a lawyer, and also taught at the university...
  
  
• Joseph Lebeau
  Joseph Lebeau
  Jean Louis Joseph Lebeau was a Belgian liberal politician and statesman, the second Prime Minister.-Biography:...
  
  
• Albert Lilar
  Albert Lilar
  Albert Jean Julien François, Baron Lilar was a Belgian politician of the Liberal Party and a Minister of Justice....
  
  
• Adolphe Max
  Adolphe Max
  Adolphe Eugène Jean Henri Max was a Belgian liberal politician and Mayor of Brussels from 1909 until his death....
  
  , mayor of Brussels (1909-1939)
• Eudore Pirmez
  Eudore Pirmez
  Eudore Pirmez was a Belgian lawyer and liberal politician. He was director of the National Bank of Belgium, member of parliament, minister and burgomaster of Marchienne-au-Pont.-Source:...
  
  
• Eugène Prévinaire
  Eugène Prévinaire
  Eugène Marie Ignace Prévinaire was a Belgian businessman, liberal politician, civil servant, and former governor of the National Bank of Belgium from 1870 until 1877....
  
  , (1805-1877), second governor of the National Bank of Belgium
  National Bank of Belgium
  The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850...
  
  .
• Jean Rey
  Jean Rey (politician)
  Jean Rey was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became the second President of the European Commission.-Early life:...
  
   (1902-1983), President of the European Commission
  President of the European Commission
  The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
  
  
• Charles Rogier
  Charles Rogier
  Charles Latour Rogier was a Belgian liberal statesman and a leader in the Belgian Revolution of 1830. He became Prime Minister of Belgium on two separate occasions: from 1847 to 1852, and again from 1857 to 1868....
  
  
• Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns
  Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns
  Gustave Henri Ange Hippolyte Rolin-Jaequemyns was a Belgian attorney at law, diplomat and Minister of the Interior as a member of the Unitarian Liberal Party...
  
  
• Ernest Solvay
  Ernest Solvay
  Ernest Gaston Joseph Solvay was a Belgian chemist, industrialist and philanthropist.Born at Rebecq, he was prevented by acute pleurisy from going to university...
  
   (1838-1922), chemist, industrialist and philanthropist.
• Henri Story
  Henri Story
  Henri Albert Oscar Lucien Marie Ghislain Story was a Belgian businessman and liberal politician in Ghent. He was born on 27 November 1897 in a prominent liberal family of textile business people. The Story family was connected with other families such as, Mechelynck and Rosseel...
  
   (1897-1944)
• Pierre Van Humbeeck
  Pierre Van Humbeeck
  Pierre Edouard Van Humbeeck was a Belgian lawyer and liberal politician. He was a member of the city council of Brussels, the Belgian parliament and minister.He was the first Belgian minister of education....
  
  
• Jan Van Rijswijck
  Jan Van Rijswijck
  Jan Van Rijswijck , was a Belgian lawyer, liberal politician and journalist.-Education:...
  
  
• Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen
  Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen
  Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen was a Belgian lawyer, founder of the Université libre de Bruxelles, and liberal politician...
  
  , founder of the Université Libre de Bruxelles
  Université Libre de Bruxelles
  The Université libre de Bruxelles is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has 21,000 students, 29% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.-Name:...
  
  
• Raoul Warocqué
  Raoul Warocqué
  Raoul Warocqué , was a Belgian industrialist of Wallonia. Raoul was the great-grandson of Nicolas Warocqué, the founder of the Warocqué-dynasty...
  
  

See also

• Politics of Belgium
  Politics of Belgium
  Politics of Belgium takes place in a framework of a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic, constitutional monarchy, whereby the King of the Belgians is the Head of State and the Prime Minister of Belgium is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by...
  
  
• Liberal Archive
  Liberal Archive (Belgium)
  The Liberal Archive , located in Ghent, is the central archive of the Belgian liberal organizations, such as the liberal party , the Willemsfonds, the Liberaal Vlaams Verbond and the liberal young guards/Pvv-Jongeren.The Liberal Archive was founded in Ghent in 1982 and was recognised by the Flemish...
  
  
• Liberalism in Belgium
  Liberalism in Belgium
  This article gives an overview of liberalism in Belgium. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
  
  
• Progressive Party
  Progressive Party (Belgium)
  The Progressive Party of Belgium was a progressive Liberal party which existed from 1887 until 1900.-History:After the defeat of the Liberal party in the general elections of 1884 the doctrinarian faction continued to dominate the Belgian Liberal party. However, the progressistes or radicals no...
  
  

Source

• Liberal Archive
• Th. Luykx, M. Platel, Politieke geschiedenis van België, 2 vol., Kluwer, 1985
• E. Witte, J. Craeybeckx, A. Meynen, Politieke geschiedenis van België, Standaard, 1997