Joseph Pholien
Joseph Clovis Louis Marie Emmanuel Pholien ( born December 28, 1884 in Liege, † January 4, 1968 in Brussels) was a Belgian Christian politician and Prime Minister.
Studies and professional activities
After studying philosophy at the University of Saint- Louis, the law at the Free University of Brussels and the Doctorate Doctor iuris, he completed an internship at the later Prime Minister Léon Delacroix. Then he himself was a practicing lawyer in Elsene.
Political career
Senator and Minister of Justice
His political career began in 1926 when he. Parti Social Chrétien for the (PSC ), a predecessor of today's Centre Démocrate Humaniste ( CDH), was chosen to 1929 as a member of the municipal council of Elsene From 1936 to 1961 he was a member of the Senate.
From 15 May 1938 until 20 February 1939 he was justice minister in the first cabinet of Paul -Henri Spaak. After the invasion of the Wehrmacht, he wrote with some other senators a public letter of protest, whereupon he was arrested three times by the German occupying forces.
In 1946 he was elected Vice President of the Senate and was also in the following years a member of the committees on judiciary, public works, colonies, Foreign Affairs and Public Health. In this role, he served as rapporteur for the right doctor.
Prime Minister from 1950 to 1952
From August 16 1950 to January 15, 1952 Pholien was prime minister. During this period took place after the " Royal Question " the official abdication of King Leopold III. and the coronation of Baudouin I.. other hand, his tenure marked by problems of the world economy as well as the solution to the " lessons dispute ". It was about the question of a free ( religious ) education or state-regulated learning in the language regions. Ultimately, however, resulted in internal party strife to his resignation.
From 15 January to 2 September 1952, he was Minister of Justice in the cabinet of his successor Jean Van Houtte. After the pardon of two originally sentenced to death collaborators and indignation storms in the population he resigned from his ministerial position. During his tenure as Prime Minister, the Justice Department decided that the measures imposed after the war, death sentences against collaborators would not be enforced because of the humanitarian tradition of Belgium.
In January 1966, he received an honorary title was awarded a " minister of state ".