Georges Hostelet (1875–1960) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

chemist, sociologist, mathematician, and philosopher. He was born in the municipality of

Chimay Chimay (, ) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a population density ...

in 1875. He attended the Royal Military Academy, and reached the rank of lieutenant. In 1897, he left the academy and enrolled in 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 ...

, where he received his doctorate in 1905. two years later, Hostelet began work with the Solvay & Cie Company as a chemical engineer and worked closely with Ernest Solvay. In 1911, he attended the First Solvay Conference, eventually becoming its last surviving participant. Years later, Hostelet became opposed to the First World War. During the war, he worked alongside English nurse

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...

and was imprisoned by the occupying German forces, later being released in 1917. In 1919, he accepted an offer from Solvay to become co-director of the Solvay Institute of Sociology; a position he held until he left in 1922 when Solvay died. Hostelet left Belgium in 1925 as part of a Franco-Belgian mission to teach social sciences at the University of Cairo. He returned in 1931 and was appointed as a member of the International Statistical Institute in the Hague the following year. He continued teaching at the

University of Antwerp The University of Antwerp () is a major Belgian university located in the city of Antwerp. The official abbreviation is ''UAntwerp''. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 students, which makes it the third-largest university in Flanders. ...

until he retired in 1947. He died in 1960.

References

* 1875 births 1960 deaths Belgian mathematicians 20th-century Belgian philosophers Belgian sociologists People from Chimay Belgian expatriates in Egypt {{Belgium-philosopher-stub