List of Belgian Americans
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Belgian-American
s. However, the term Belgian-American is here used in a very liberal way: It includes not only Americans of Belgian descent and Belgians who took American citizenship (Belgian-Americans in the strictest sense), but also Americans born in Belgium, Belgians born in the USA, Belgians who lived for a considerable period of time in the United States and vice-versa. All, however, would describe themselves as Belgian-Americans.
A brief bio beside each entry helps to clarify in which of these categories each individual falls.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Belgian American or must have references showing they are Belgian American and are notable.
Belgian-American
Belgian Americans are citizens of the United States who are of Belgian ancestry. 'Belgian' is not considered an ethnic term...
s. However, the term Belgian-American is here used in a very liberal way: It includes not only Americans of Belgian descent and Belgians who took American citizenship (Belgian-Americans in the strictest sense), but also Americans born in Belgium, Belgians born in the USA, Belgians who lived for a considerable period of time in the United States and vice-versa. All, however, would describe themselves as Belgian-Americans.
A brief bio beside each entry helps to clarify in which of these categories each individual falls.
To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Belgian American or must have references showing they are Belgian American and are notable.
Artists
- Jan YoorsJan YoorsJan Yoors was a Flemish-American artist, photographer, painter, sculptor, writer, tapestry creator.Yoors was born in Antwerp, Belgium. At the age of 12, he ran away with a group of Romanies, or Gypsies, travelling with them for several months...
(1922–1977) was a Flemish-American artist, photographer, painter, sculptor, writer, tapestry creator, and, earlier in life, a gypsy.
Builders
- George Washington GoethalsGeorge Washington GoethalsGeorge Washington Goethals was a United States Army officer and civil engineer, best known for his supervision of construction and the opening of the Panama Canal...
(1858–1928) was the Brooklyn-born son of Flemish immigrants. Goethals was the first recorded Flemish-American graduate of West Point (where he is buried) and was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt to build the Panama Canal - which he accomplished under budget in 1914.
Businessmen
- Henry FordHenry FordHenry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
, whose mother was an orphan born to Belgian inmmigrants and adopted by Irish-American neighbors. - Maurice TempelsmanMaurice TempelsmanMaurice Tempelsman is a Belgian American businessman and diamond merchant. He moved to the United States as a child and attended New York City’s public schools and New York University...
(1929) was born in Antwerp. His family moved to New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1940 to escape persecution by Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Tempelsman is a diamondDiamondIn mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
merchantMerchantA merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
who was the longtime companion to Jacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
, former First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
. - Jean Cattier, chairman of the European American Bank, was born in brussels in 1903 and moved to New York in 1926. He was a partner in the investment banking house of White, Weld & Company for more than 40 years, rising to executive committee chairman and retiring in 1973. He had also been chairman of the Belgian-American Bank and the Belgian Line and president of the Belgian American Chamber of Commerce. In the early 1950's, Mr. Cattier was the financial chief of Marshall Plan operations in West Germany, and in World War II he served in the armies of Belgium and the United States, rising to lieutenant colonel.
Economists
- Robert TriffinRobert TriffinRobert Triffin was a Belgian economist best known for his critique of the Bretton Woods system of fixed currency exchange rates. His critique became known later as Triffin's dilemma.Triffin received his doctorate degree from Harvard University in 1938 and taught there from 1939 until 1942...
(1911–1993) was a Belgian-born economist best known for his critique of the Bretton Woods system, later known as Triffin's Dilemma.
Entertainers
- Stephen Gmys (1975 - ) child actor
- Audrey HepburnAudrey HepburnAudrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
(1929–1993) award-winning film star, model, and humanitarian. She was born in Brussels to DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
and BritishBritish peopleThe British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
parents and grew up in The Netherlands. - Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
(1960-) is a Belgian martial artist and actor who is most known for his action movies. His Belgian background gave rise to the nickname "The Muscles from Brussels." - Johnny GaleckiJohnny GaleckiJohn Mark "Johnny" Galecki is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.-Early life:Galecki was born in Bree, Belgium, of...
(1975-) American Actor born in BreeBree- People :Surname* Andrew Bree, Irish swimmer* Declan Bree, Irish politician* James Bree, British actor* Johannes Bernardus van Bree, Dutch composer, musician* Herbert Bree, Anglican BishopGiven name* Bree Amer, Australian television personality...
, Limburg Province, Belgium. He is best known for his roles as David Healy in the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and as Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Musicians
- Désiré DefauwDésiré DefauwDésiré Defauw was a Belgian conductor and violinist.He was professor of conducting at the Brussels Conservatory and was the first conductor of the Orchestre National de Belgique from 1937...
(1885–1960) was a Belgian-born violinist and conductor. He made his American debut with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Since 1940, Defauw was director and conductor of the Orchestra of the Symphonic Concerts of Montreal. During the following years he conducted the major American Orchestras: the Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, with the Chicago Symphony he was Musical Director and Conductor for four years. The Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Chicago Youth Orchestra, he was visiting conductor of orchestral activities at Northwestern University in 1955. Just before his death, he retired as director of the Gary Symphony Orchestra in IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. - Jean-Baptiste "Toots" ThielemansToots ThielemansJean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans , known as Toots Thielemans, is a Belgian jazz musician well known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century...
(1922-) is a Belgian jazz artist well known for his guitar, harmonica play and also for his highly accomplished professional whistling. He made his big breakthrough when he went on European tour with Benny Goodman in 1950. He moved to America in 1952 (and became a US citizen the same year) where he is extremely well known, especially among the jazz community. Quincy Jones said this about him in 1995 : "I can say without hesitation that Toots is one of the greatest musicians of our time. On his instrument he ranks with the best that jazz has ever produced. He goes for the heart and makes you cry. We have worked together more times than I can count and he always keeps me coming back for more". Toots hates his favourite instrument, the harmonica, being called a 'miscellaneous instrument'. Indeed, the late Clifford Brown said : "Toots, the way you play the harmonica they should not call it a miscellaneous instrument".His successes include harmonica solo contributions to film scores for Midnight Cowboy, The Getaway, Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Turks Fruit (Turkish Fruit), Jean de Florette and others. In 1962, he had a massive hit with 'Bluesette'. He also did many concerts and recordings with legends such as George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Jaco Pastorius, Natalie Cole, Pat Metheny, Paul Simon and Billy Joel. Many people also will remember him from the music used for the 'Old Spice' TV commercial. - Frédérique PetridesFrédérique PetridesFrédérique Petrides , , was a Belgian-American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the Orchestrette Classique in New York...
née Frédérique Mayer (b. 26 Sept 1903, Antwerp, Belgium; d. 12 Jan. 1983, ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
), was a Belgian-AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
conductor. In New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Petrides founded the Orchestrette ClassiqueOrchestrette ClassiqueOrchestrette Classique, later called Orchestrette of New York was an American chamber orchestra in New York made up of women musicians. Frédérique Petrides , a pioneering woman conductor who led other orchestras in New York, founded it in 1932 and served as its conductor until it ceased in 1943...
, an all-women's chamber orchestra, which existed from 1932 to 1943, premiered works by new American composers, such as Paul CrestonPaul CrestonPaul Creston was an Italian American composer of classical music.Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self‐taught as a composer. He was an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha chapter...
, Samuel BarberSamuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
and David DiamondDavid Diamond (composer)David Leo Diamond was an American composer of classical music.-Life and career:He was born in Rochester, New York and studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music under Bernard Rogers, also receiving lessons from Roger Sessions in New York City and Nadia Boulanger in...
; and gave five to six concerts annually in Carnegie Chamber Music Hall, now Weill Recital Hall; founded the Carl Schurz ParkCarl Schurz ParkCarl Schurz Park is a 14.9 acre public park on the Upper East Side of New York City, named for German-born Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1910, at the edge of what was then a solidly German-American community of Yorkville....
concert series on ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper East SideUpper East SideThe Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
in 1958; founded the West Side Orchestral Concerts in 1962; founded the Hudson Valley Symphony Orchestra in Tarrytown, New YorkTarrytown, New YorkTarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, about north of midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on the Metro-North Hudson Line...
in the 1930's, and founded the Student Symphony Society in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1950. Ms. Petrides was also editor and publisher of the ground-breaking Women in MusicWomen in MusicWomen in Music was an American newsletter founded in July 1935 by its publisher and editor, Frédérique Petrides, then the conductor of the Orchestrette Classique – an orchestra based in New York made-up of all women musicians. The publication ran until December 1940...
newsletters, which, in the 1930's chronicled the activities of women musicians from the ancient Egyptian times to the then present and were published in New York and circulated internationally.. Petrides’s accomplishments were followed and reviewed by leading critics and writers such as Virgil ThomsonVirgil ThomsonVirgil Thomson was an American composer and critic. He was instrumental in the development of the "American Sound" in classical music...
, H. Howard Taubman, Irving Kolodin, Olin DownesOlin DownesOlin Downes was an American music critic.He studied piano, music theory, and music criticism in New York and Boston, and it was in those two cities that he made his career as a music critic—first with the Boston Post and then with the New York Times...
, Robert A. Simon, Jerome D. Bohm, Francis D. Perkins, Theodore StronginTheodore StronginTheodore Strongin was an American music critic, composer, flautist, and entomologist.-Life and career:Born in New York City, Strongin grew up in Darien, Connecticut. He studied both music and biology at Harvard University and Bard College...
, Raymond EricsonRaymond EricsonRaymond Ericson was an American music critic who wrote articles for The New York Times for 30 years.-Life and career:...
, Harold C. SchonbergHarold C. SchonbergHarold Charles Schonberg was an American music critic and journalist, most notably for The New York Times. He was the first music critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism...
and Robert ShermanRobert Sherman (music critic)Robert Sherman is an American music critic, radio personality, academic, and writer on music. He is the son of pianist Nadia Reisenberg. From 1964-2003 he was a music critic for The New York Times. Since 1969 he has hosted the folk music radio program Woody's Children; for the first 30 years on...
who, in the New York Times of July 3, 1970, describes Petrides as “a prime mover in New York’s cultural affairs since the mid-thirties”.
Singers
- Vivica GenauxVivica GenauxVivica Genaux is an American coloratura mezzo-soprano. Her father, an American of Belgian-Welsh descent, was a biochemistry professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and her mother, Mexican-born of Swiss-German extraction, was a language teacher...
is an American mezzo-soprano. Her Belgian-born father was a biochemistry professor at the University of Alaska. - Brian MolkoBrian MolkoBrian Molko is a songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his high-pitched vocals, androgynous appearance, and unique, Sonic Youth-influenced guitar style and tuning.-Early life:Born to an American father of French-Italian heritage and a Scottish...
, lead singer of PlaceboPlacebo (band)Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
, was born in Brussels.
Fashion
- Liz Claiborne (1929–2007) was a Belgian-born fashion designer.
Historians
- George SartonGeorge SartonGeorge Sarton was a Belgian chemist and historian who is considered the founder of the discipline of history of science. He left Belgium because of the First World War and settled in the United States where he spent the rest of his life researching and writing about the history of science...
(1884–1956) was a seminal Belgian-American polymath and historian of science. Father of May SartonMay SartonMay Sarton is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton , an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.-Biography:...
.
Inventors
- Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944) was a Belgium-born American chemist who invented Velox photographic paper (1893) and Bakelite (1907), an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile, and popular plastic. In 1978, Baekeland was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Charles Joseph Van DepoeleCharles Joseph Van DepoeleCharles Joseph Van Depoele was an electrical engineer, inventor, and pioneer in electric railway technology. Van Depoele was born in Lichtervelde, Belgium. At a tender age he dabbled in electricity, and became so thoroughly infatuated with the subject that he entered upon a course of study and...
(1846–1892) was an electrical engineer, inventor, and pioneer in electric railway technology.
Politicians
- Charles Benedict CalvertCharles Benedict CalvertCharles Benedict Calvert was a U.S. Congressman from the sixth district of Maryland, serving one term from 1861–1863. He was an early backer of the inventors of the telegraph, and in 1856 he founded the Maryland Agricultural College, the first agricultural research college in America, now part of...
(1808–1864) was a U.S. Congressman from the sixth district of Maryland, serving one term from 1861—1863. His mother, Rosalie Eugenia Stier, was the daughter of a wealthy Belgian aristocrat, Baron Henri Joseph Stier (1743–1821) and his wife Marie Louise Peeters. - Peter MinuitPeter MinuitPeter Minuit, Pieter Minuit, Pierre Minuit or Peter Minnewit was a Walloon from Wesel, in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, then part of the Duchy of Cleves. He was the Director-General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1633, and he founded the Swedish colony of...
(1589–1638) was a Walloon-born politician. He was the Director-General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1633 and founder of the Swedish colony of New Sweden in 1638. By tradition he purchased the island of Manhattan from the Native Americans (Algonquins), on May 24, 1626. - Anne-Marie SlaughterAnne-Marie SlaughterAnne-Marie Slaughter was the Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department from January 2009 until February 2011. She is the Bert G...
is Director of Policy Planning for the United States Department of State. She was Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University from 2002 to 2009. Slaughter was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia by her American father and Belgian mother. She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton in 1980 where she majored in the Woodrow Wilson School and received a certificate in European cultural studies. She received her M.Phil. and D.Phil. degrees in international relations from Oxford in 1982 and 1992, respectively, and her law degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 1985.
Prelates
- Archbishop Charles John SeghersCharles John SeghersCharles John Seghers was a Belgian clergyman and missionary bishop. He is considered to be the founder of the Alaska Mission.-Early years and formation:...
, the Apostle of AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
(1839–1886) was consecrated Bishop of Vancouver IslandVancouver IslandVancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
on June 29, 1873. On November 28, 1886, while resting in a deserted cabin in the Alaskan foothills, Bishop Seghers was shot through the heart. His body was borne back to a grief stricken people and his remains rest under the high altar in the Cathedral at VictoriaVictoria, British ColumbiaVictoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
. - James Oliver Van de VeldeJames Oliver Van de VeldeJames Oliver Van de Velde was a U.S. Catholic bishop born in Belgium. He served as the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Chicago between 1849 and 1853. He traveled to Rome in 1852 and petitioned the Pope for a transfer to a warmer climate, due to his health...
(1795–1855) was a Belgian-born US Catholic bishop. He served as the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Chicago between 1849 and 1853. in 1853, he was transferred to Natchez, Mississippi and became bishop of the Diocese of Natchez, where he served until his death. - Father DamienFather DamienFather Damien or Saint Damien of Molokai, SS.CC. , born Jozef De Veuster, was a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium and member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a missionary religious order...
(1840–1889) was a Flemish-born Catholic missionary of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary who is revered primarily by Hawaii residents and Christians for having dedicated his life in service to the lepers of Molokai in the Kingdom of Hawaii. In Catholicism, Father Damien is the spiritual patron of people with leprosy, outcasts, and those with HIV/AIDS, and of the State of Hawaii. Father Damien Day is recognized each year in Hawaii on April 15. His Feast Day in the Catholic Church is May 10. Having been beatified in 1995, Father Damien is awaiting formal approval for sainthood. On December 1, 2005, Father Damien was chosen as the Greatest Belgian of all time by the Flemish public broadcasting service, VRT. - Father Pierre-Jean DeSmet (1801–1873) was a Belgian-born Roman Catholic priest who became the most trusted of the white men among the Native Americans of the Western United States in the mid-19th century.
- Louis HennepinLouis HennepinFather Louis Hennepin, O.F.M. baptized Antoine, was a Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Recollect order and an explorer of the interior of North America....
, baptized Father Antoine (1626 – c. 1705) was a Flemish Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Recollect Order (French: Récollets) and an explorer of the interior of North America. He discovered Niagara Falls, Hannibal, Missouri and was the first to place the name 'Chicago' on a map (1683).
Scientists
- Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944) was a Belgium-born American chemist who invented Velox photographic paper (1893) and Bakelite (1907), an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile, and popular plastic. In 1978, Leo Hendrik Baekeland was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Maurice Anthony BiotMaurice Anthony BiotMaurice Anthony Biot was a Belgian-American physicist and the founder of the theory of poroelasticity.Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Biot studied at Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium where he received a bachelor's degrees in philosophy , mining engineering and electrical engineering , and...
(1905–1985) was a Belgian-American physicist and the founder of the theory of poroelasticity. - Karel BossartKarel BossartKarel Jan Bossart was a pioneering rocket designer and creator of the Atlas ICBM...
(1904–1975) was a pioneering rocket designer and 'father (creator) of the Atlas ICBM'. - Sylvain CappellSylvain CappellSylvain Edward Cappell , a Belgian American mathematician and former student of William Browder at Princeton University, is a topologist who has spent most of his career at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at NYU, where he is now the Silver Professor of Mathematics.He was born in...
(born 1946) is a Belgian-born mathematician at New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. - Julius Arthur Nieuwland (1878–1976) was a Belgian-born Holy Cross priest and professor of chemistry and botany at the University of Notre Dame. He is known for his contributions to acetylene research and the discovery of synthetic rubber which eventually led to the discovery of Neoprene by DuPont.
- Nicolas RuwetNicolas RuwetNicolas Ruwet was a linguist, literary critic and musical analyst. He was involved with the development of generative grammar.Ruwet was born in Saive in Belgium and studied philology in Liège...
(1932–2001) was a linguist, literary critic and musical analyst. - Charles SchepensCharles SchepensCharles L. Schepens was an influential Belgian ophthalmologist, regarded by many in the profession as "the father of modern retinal surgery", and member of the French Resistance....
(1912–2006) was an influential American ophthalmologist, regarded by many in the profession as "the father of modern retinal surgery" - George Van BiesbroeckGeorge Van BiesbroeckGeorge A. Van Biesbroeck was a Belgian-American astronomer. He worked at observatories in Belgium, Germany and the United States. He specialized in the observation of double stars, asteroids and comets...
(1880–1974) was a Belgian-American astronomer.
Sports
- Edgard ColleEdgard ColleEdgard Colle was a Belgian chess master. He scored excellent results in major international tournaments, including first at Amsterdam 1926, ahead of Savielly Tartakower and future world champion Max Euwe; first at Meran 1926, ahead of Esteban Canal; and first at Scarborough 1930, ahead of Maróczy...
(1897–1932) was a Belgian-born chess master, who pioneered the chess opening termed the Colle System. - George KoltanowskiGeorge KoltanowskiGeorge Koltanowski was a Belgian-born American chess player, promoter, and writer. He was informally known as "Kolty". Koltanowski set the world's blindfold record on 20 September 1937, in Edinburgh, by playing 34 chess games simultaneously while blindfolded, making headline news around the world...
(1903–2000) was a Belgian-born chess player and promoter. - Earl Louis "Curly" LambeauCurly LambeauEarl Louis "Curly" Lambeau was founder, player, and first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional American football team...
(1898–1965) was the founder, a player, and the first coach of the Green Bay Packers professional football team. Lambeau FieldLambeau FieldLambeau Field is an outdoor football stadium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. Opened in 1957 as City Stadium, it replaced the original City Stadium as the Packers' home field...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin is named after him. - Roger DeCosterRoger DeCosterRoger De Coster is a Belgian former world champion motocross racer and current motocross team manager.-Motorcycling career:...
(1944-) is a legendary Belgian-born motocross racer. His name is almost synonymous with the sport of motocross. He won five 500cc Motocross World Championships and tallied a record 36 500cc Grand Prix victories. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, becoming only the seventh motorcyclist in the Hall. In 1999, he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. - Christian Vande Velde (1976-) is a professional road cyclistRoad bicycle racingRoad bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...
, whose grandfather immigrated from GhentGhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
in Flanders.
Writers
- May SartonMay SartonMay Sarton is the pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton , an American poet, novelist, and memoirist.-Biography:...
(1912–1995) was a Belgian-born American poet, novelist, and memoirist; daughter of George SartonGeorge SartonGeorge Sarton was a Belgian chemist and historian who is considered the founder of the discipline of history of science. He left Belgium because of the First World War and settled in the United States where he spent the rest of his life researching and writing about the history of science...
. Many of her novels and poems are pellucid reflections of the lesbian experience. - Georges SimenonGeorges SimenonGeorges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
(1903–1989) was a Belgian-born novelist who lived in the US from 1945 until 1955. Considered as one of the most skilled and literate writers of detective fiction, he is best known as the creator of Paris police detective Inspector Maigret. He turned out 84 Maigret mysteries and 136 other novels, but he never wrote the 'big' novel that many critics demanded of him. Over 500 million copies of Simenon's books have been printed and translated into 50 languages. His second son, John, was born in 1949 in Tucson, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. - Marguerite YourcenarMarguerite YourcenarMarguerite Yourcenar was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist. Winner of the Prix Femina and the Erasmus Prize, she was the first woman elected to the Académie française, in 1980, and the seventeenth person to occupy Seat 3.-Biography:Yourcenar was born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie...
(1903–1987) was a Belgian-born novelist. - Robert GoffinRobert GoffinRobert Goffin was a Belgian lawyer, author, and poet, credited with writing the first "serious" book on jazz, Aux Frontières du Jazz in 1932.-Life:...
(1898–1984)
External links
- Belgian American Historical Society of Chicago
- Genealogical Society for Belgian Immigrants (USA)
- The Belgian-American Research Collection
- Flemish-American Heroes
- Belgians in the Civil War - 1840–1865
- The Belgian-American Club of Chicago
- Famous Belgian Americans
- Peninsula Belgian American Club
- The Calverts and Stiers of Riversdale
- Belgian-American Association of Detroit