Maurice Lippens (governor)

Maurice Auguste Eugène Charles Marie Ghislain, Count Lippens ( born August 21, 1875 in Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium, † July 12, 1956 in Ixelles / Elsene, Brussels -Capital Region, Belgium) was a Belgian liberal politician, who served as General Governor of the Belgian Congo, multiple Minister and President of the Belgian Senate was.

Biography

After schooling Lippens studied law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and was after his doctorate in law worked as a lawyer.

A little later he began a career in local politics and was initially 1906-1920 Mayor of Moerbeke. He was also the 1919-1921 Governor of the province of East Flanders.

This was followed in 1921 his appointment as Governor-General of the Belgian Congo and he remained in this position during the League of Nations mandate until 1923. Upon his return to Belgium, he became a member of the Senate and belonged to this from 1925 to 1939. At the same time he was 1926-1937 again mayor of Moerbeke.

In 1927 he was appointed by Prime Minister Henri Jaspar as Minister of Railways, Posts and Telegraphs, aviation and shipping. As part of a Government reshuffle, he was then from 1929 to the end of Jaspar's term of office in June 1931 Transport Minister.

In the government of Prime Minister Charles de Broqueville he was then from October 1932 to November 1934 Minister of Public Instruction. For his political merits him the honorary title of Minister of State was given together with Cyrille Van Overbergh on 31 July 1934.

After retiring from the Government Count Lippens was dated 13 November 1934 to the April 13, 1936 President of the Senate.

During the occupation of Belgium by the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1940 he played a key role, as he formed a board of directors, which attempted the presence of King Leopold III. in the country and thus to force his reign. To this end, he also led numerous conversations with the right-wing - fascist Flemish National Alliance ( Vlaams Nationaal Verbond ) and with the Association of German National Solidarity ( Verbond van Dietsche Nationaal Solidarists ( Verdinaso ) ). Ultimately, these efforts were for making its own diplomacy and a new Flemish nationalist collaboration unsuccessful.

Family

Lippens was father of Léon Lippens, 1947-1996 mayor of Knokke- Heist, and grandfather of Leopold Lippens, the present mayor of Knokke- Heist, and of Maurice Lippens, by 2008 the company's CEO Fortis and 2004 to 2008 on the board of Belgacom.