Robert J. Houben

Robert Joseph JM Houben ( born May 5, 1905 in Sint -Niklaas, East Flanders, Belgium, † April 11, 1992 in Kortenberg, Flemish Brabant, Belgium) was a Belgian university teacher and politician Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP ).

Biography

The son of a professional soldier studied after attending school in Sint -Niklaas law at the Catholic University of Louvain, and took after his doctorate in law in 1929 to work as a lawyer in Antwerp and Leuven, winning 1929-1931 First Prize with gold medal in the Category Civil Law in the Inter-University competitions.

In August 1934, he entered the civil service and was until March 1935 Cabinet Secretary of the then Minister for Industry and Employment Philip Van Isacker or for Labour and Social Security Edmond Rubbens. Subsequently, he was until 1945 Director of the Legal Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, as well as between 1940 and 1944 also Head of Cabinet of the Secretary of Labor. This was followed in 1945 for a little work as Deputy Head of Cabinet of the Minister of War Victims Henri Pauwels.

In 1945 he began an activity at the Center for Political, Economic and Social Studies ( CEPESS ) the Christelijke Volkspartij (CVP ), where he was first deputy director, before he was director of the CEPESS 1947. As such, he was 1947-1952 and national secretary of the CVP.

In addition, he was between 1950 and 1970 Associate Professor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he taught in 1952 in particular labor law.

In addition to these functions Houben was between November 1952 and 1974, member of the Senate for the province of Brabant.

In June 1958 he was appointed by Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens as Minister of Public Health and Family in his cabinet, which he, however, only a few months remained until November 1958. As such he belonged in 1958 to the negotiators of the school pact to end the second school dispute.

In April 1966, Houben as the successor of Paul Vanden Boeynants past chairman of the United Parti Social Chrétien CVP (PSC ) was. He continued in this role until the fragmentation of the party in a Dutch-speaking CVP and a French-speaking PSC 1972. During this period he was also Chairman of the 1967 Committee for Health Affairs.

For his political merits him the honorary title of Minister of State was awarded on 15 July 1969.

In 1973 he became director of the CEPESS and was also since 1982 Chairman of the Robert Houben- study center for political attitudes.

Publications

  • Code du Traveil et de l'Industrie, 1936 ( co-author Walter Leen ).
  • Le pacte scolaire et son application, 1960 ( co-author F. Ingham ).
  • Het schoolpact en zijn toepassing, Brussels, 1962-1964.
  • De miskende politiek. Foreword by Minister of State A. E. De Schryver, Brussels, 1963.
  • La politique méconnue. Foreword by Pierre Wigny, Brussels, 1963.
  • De CVP in de branding. Foreword by P.W. Segers, Brussels, 1963.
  • Le P.S.C. Contests, 1963.
  • Souci primordial du PSC, le renouveau the methodes de gestion, in: "Res publica", 1968, pp. 41-57.
  • Nieuwjaarsboodschap, in: " De stem van het folk ", 1970, 1, p 1
  • La politique en désarroi, 1973.
Sint-Niklaas Legal science Minister of State (Belgium)
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