André Damseaux (5 March 1937 – 29 March 2007) was a Belgian politician, second

Minister-President of Wallonia The minister-president of Wallonia () is the head of the Government of Wallonia, the executive power of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. The official residence, known as the Élysette, is in Namur, along the Meuse River. The ministe ...

and

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

Life

André Damseaux was born on 5 March 1937 in

Verviers Verviers (; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Ensival, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also the cent ...

, Belgium. In 1961, Damseaux gained a degree in diplomatic science from the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

and a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the same university three years later. After working as a journalist with '' La Meuse'' newspaper, Damseaux served on the council of

, beginning in 1965. This was a position he would hold for over three decades, ending in 1999.Damseaux, André
–

Parliament of Belgium The Federal Parliament (; ; ) is the bicameral parliament of Belgium. It consists of the Chamber of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). It sits in the Palace of the Nation in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. ...

. Retrieved 2010-02-21. In 1971, Damseaux began his career in the

, a career there which would last until 1999. From 1973 to 1974 Damseaux served as the president of the Liberal Reformist Party in Wallonia. In 1977, Damseaux became a

representing Belgium, and became one of the first directly elected Members of the European Parliament in 1979 when direct elections began. In 1981 Damseaux joined the Walloon government, as Minister for External Relations and supervision of municipalities. The same year he began service as the Minister for National Education in the federal government, and in 1982 served as

Minister-President of the Walloon Region The minister-president of Wallonia () is the head of the Government of Wallonia, the executive power of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. The official residence, known as the Élysette, is in Namur, along the Meuse River. The ministe ...

. However, after suffering protests over his school reforms, Damseaux resigned from his Minister for National Education position on 9 March 1987. From 1989 to 1994 Damseaux was the Mayor of Verviers. In 1999, Damseaux ceased being a member of the Verviers council, and in 2001 became a member of the

Jalhay Jalhay (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Jalhay had a total population of 7,953. The total area is 107.75 km2 which gives a population density of 74 inhabitants per km2. The m ...

council. On 29 March 2007 Damseaux died in a Verviers hospital after suffering from a stroke.Décès de l'ancien ministre libéral André Damseaux
– Le Vif . Retrieved 2010-02-21.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damseaux, Andre 1937 births 2007 deaths Liberal Reformist Party (Belgium) MEPs Liberal Reformist Party (Belgium) politicians MEPs for Belgium 1979–1984 Minister-presidents of Wallonia People from Verviers 21st-century Belgian politicians