Jules Destrée

Jules Destrée ( born August 21, 1863 in Marcinelle, † January 2, 1936 in Brussels) was a Belgian writer, jurist and politician.

Jules Destrée became a member of the Belgian Workers' Party, precursor of the socialistic party, and was Member of Parliament from 1894 to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. It was 1917/18 of Mission at the Russian revolutionary government of Kerensky.

As a representative of the Walloons he campaigned for a separate management of Flanders and Wallonia. In 1912, he wrote an open letter to King Albert I, in which he stated:

" Sire, (...) Vous régnez sur deux peuples. Il ya en Belgique, the Wallon et des Flamand; il n'y a pas de Belges. "Sire, you reign over two peoples. In Belgium there are Flemish and Walonen; there are no Belgians ".

Destrée was from 1919 to 1921 Minister of Arts and Science, 1920, he founded the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique (Royal Academy of French Language and Literature ). According to him, the Institute Jules Destrée is named.

Works (selection)

• Le Socialisme en Belgique. With Émile Vandervelde. Giard & Brière, Paris 1903.
• Une campagne au électorale Pays noir. Soc. coop. " Volksdrukkerij ", Ghent, 1907.
• Les réfectoires scolaires. Soc. coop. " Volksdrukkerij ", Ghent 1908.
• Lettre au roisur la séparation de la Wallonie et de la Flandre. Brussels 1912.
• Wallonia. Société des Trente [ et al ], Paris, 1914.
• Les socialistes et la guerre européenne 1914-1915. van Oest, Brussels 1916.
• Deportation Les Belges d' ouvriers. Hayman, Christy & Lilly, London, 1917.
• Wallon et Flamand. Plon, Paris, 1923.
• Roger de la Pasture, van der Weyden. Brussels and Paris, 1930.