Marcel-Henri Jaspar
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Marcel-Henri Jaspar (
Schaerbeek (French language, French, ; former History of Dutch orthography, Dutch spelling) or (modern Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Reg ...
, 23 June 1901 –
Ixelles (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...
, 14 May 1982), was a Belgian lawyer, politician, and later diplomat. He is best known for his unsuccessful attempt with
Camille Huysmans Jean Joseph Camille Huysmans (born as Camiel Hansen 26 May 1871 – 25 February 1968) was a Belgian people, Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1946 to 1947. Biography He studied German philology at the Universit ...
and others to establish an unrecognised Belgian government in London in 1940 during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Born into an eminent Belgian family, Jaspar spent much of his youth overseas in
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. On his return to Belgium to study and practise law, he soon became involved in
Liberal politics Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
. Joining the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
, he rose rapidly through the party's youth wing and entered the Chamber of Representatives in 1929 as a deputy for Brussels. He held ministerial appointments in the coalition governments of
Paul Van Zeeland Paul Guillaume, Viscount van Zeeland (11 November 1893 – 22 September 1973) was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1935 to 1937. Biography van Zeeland was born in Soi ...
and
Hubert Pierlot Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (, 23 December 1883 – 13 December 1963) was a Belgian politician and Prime Minister of Belgium, serving between 1939 and 1945. Pierlot, a lawyer and jurist, served in World War I before entering politics in the 192 ...
, latterly during the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940. A convinced anti-Nazi, Jaspar's insistence that the Belgian government should continue the war from exile in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
led him to abandon the Pierlot government when it appeared that it would seek an armistice with the Germans. Jaspar's attempt to form his own exile government in London, together with
Camille Huysmans Jean Joseph Camille Huysmans (born as Camiel Hansen 26 May 1871 – 25 February 1968) was a Belgian people, Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1946 to 1947. Biography He studied German philology at the Universit ...
, ultimately resulted in failure but contributed to the Pierlot government's decision to establish itself in exile. Jaspar's break with the government made a return to political life impossible. Instead, he was appointed as a diplomatic representative of the Belgian government in exile to its Czechoslovak counterpart. He continued in the diplomatic service after the war, his career culminating in the prestigious posting of Ambassador in France. Throughout his career he wrote prolifically on political and historical topics, also writing a memoir. He died in Brussels in 1982.


Biography


Early life and political career, 1901–40

Marcel-Henri Jaspar was born in
Schaerbeek (French language, French, ; former History of Dutch orthography, Dutch spelling) or (modern Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Reg ...
, a suburb of
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
, on 23 June 1901. His father, Ernest Jaspar (1876–1940), was an eminent architect and the brother of
Henri Jaspar Henri Jaspar (28 July 1870 – 15 February 1939) was a Belgian Catholic Party politician who served as prime minister of Belgium from 1926 to 1931. He was born in Schaerbeek and trained as a lawyer. Jaspar represented Liège as a Catholic ...
(1870–1939) who was a
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
politician and
Prime Minister of Belgium The prime minister of Belgium (; ; ) or the premier of Belgium is the head of the federal government of Belgium, and the most powerful person in Belgian politics. The first head of government in Belgian history was Henri van der Noot in 179 ...
in 1926–31. His mother, Marguerite Coopman-Dillens, came from a notable family of artists including the sculptor Julien Dillens (1849–1904). Because of the international nature of Ernest's work, Marcel-Henri spent much of his youth overseas in
Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
,
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
(1905–15) and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
(1915–19). He graduated from the
University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
in 1918 and gained a doctorate in law at the Free University of Brussels in 1923. He practised briefly as a lawyer at the
Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
in Brussels, and subsequently published a study on Belgian
company law Corporate law (also known as company law or enterprise law) is the body of law governing the rights, relations, and conduct of persons, companies, organizations and businesses. The term refers to the legal practice of law relating to corp ...
. Jaspar became involved in
liberal politics Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...
in 1921, influenced by his exposure to French liberal ideas. He became a member of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
and was mentored by
Albert Devèze Albert Joseph Charles Devèze (; 6 June 1881 – 28 November 1959) was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Biography Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a municipality council member in Schae ...
, a liberal statesman. He rose through the ranks of the party's youth wing, the ''Jeunesses Libérales'', and became head of their movement in Brussels by 1923. He quickly gained a reputation as one of leading figures in the party's "
Young Turks The Young Turks (, also ''Genç Türkler'') formed as a constitutionalist broad opposition-movement in the late Ottoman Empire against the absolutist régime of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (). The most powerful organization of the movement, ...
" faction who emphasized the need for social reform besides the traditional liberal economic agenda of ''
laissez-faire ''Laissez-faire'' ( , from , ) is a type of economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies or regulations). As a system of thought, ''laissez-faire'' ...
''. In May 1929, he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives as a deputy for Brussels and would remain a member until September 1944. He gained his first ministerial portfolio as Minister of Transport in the government of
Paul van Zeeland Paul Guillaume, Viscount van Zeeland (11 November 1893 – 22 September 1973) was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1935 to 1937. Biography van Zeeland was born in Soi ...
(Van Zeeland II) in 1936–1937.
Léon Degrelle Léon Joseph Marie Ignace Degrelle (; 15 June 1906 – 31 March 1994) was a Belgian Walloon politician and Nazi collaborator. He rose to prominence in Belgium in the 1930s as the leader of the Rexist Party (Rex). During the German occupatio ...
's
Rexist Party The Rexist Party, or simply Rex, was a far-right Catholic authoritarian and corporatist political party active in Belgium from 1935 until 1945. The party was founded by a journalist, Léon Degrelle.
launched a number of visceral public attacks on Jaspar as a former director of the defrauded Constructa company as part of a wider denunciation of supposed "politico-financial scandals" associated with the government of Van Zeeland. In April 1939, he gained another portfolio in the Catholic-Liberal coalition of
Hubert Pierlot Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (, 23 December 1883 – 13 December 1963) was a Belgian politician and Prime Minister of Belgium, serving between 1939 and 1945. Pierlot, a lawyer and jurist, served in World War I before entering politics in the 192 ...
(Pierlot II and III) as Minister of Public Health. As well as being a
Francophile A Francophile is a person who has a strong affinity towards any or all of the French language, History of France, French history, Culture of France, French culture and/or French people. That affinity may include France itself or its history, lang ...
, Jaspar was a vocal critic of
Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
before
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Attempted exile government, 1940

Following the German invasion of Belgium (10–28 May 1940), the Belgian government was forced to withdraw from Brussels into France, eventually to
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. Despite the surrender of
King Leopold III Leopold III (3 November 1901 – 25 September 1983) was King of the Belgians from 23 February 1934 until his abdication on 16 July 1951. At the outbreak of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasio ...
and the Belgian Army on 28 May, it continued to support the French. However, after France sought an armistice it was unclear what it would do. Jaspar advocated taking the government to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, but was this was rejected by Pierlot on 18 June. Deserting the government without permission, Jaspar arrived in London with his family on 21 June. On 23 June, he made a broadcast on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
to German-occupied Belgium holding himself out as the founder of a Free Belgian government. Furious, the government in Bordeaux stripped him of his ministerial title the following day. In London, Jaspar was soon joined by other left-wing politicians, many of them radicals, such as
Camille Huysmans Jean Joseph Camille Huysmans (born as Camiel Hansen 26 May 1871 – 25 February 1968) was a Belgian people, Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1946 to 1947. Biography He studied German philology at the Universit ...
,
Max Buset Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...
, and Isabelle Blume. Inspired by the example of the French General
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
who had founded the Free French Movement a few days earlier, Jaspar attempted to form an alternative government on 5 July known as the "Belgian National Committee" (''Comité national belge'') under Huysmans's presidency. The new venture failed to secure
diplomatic recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be acc ...
from the British
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...
. The arrival of
Albert De Vleeschauwer Albert De Vleeschauwer, later Baron Albert De Vleeschauwer van Braekel, (1 January 1897 in Nederbrakel – 24 February 1971 in Kortenberg) was a Belgian politician of the Catholic Party. De Vleeschauwer served as Catholic deputy for the Leuve ...
, Minister of the Colonies, in London, followed by other senior members of the Pierlot government soon afterwards, ended the attempt to establish an alternative to the
Belgian government in exile The Belgian Government in London (; ), also known as the Pierlot IV Government, was the government in exile of Belgium between October 1940 and September 1944 during World War II. The government was wikt:tripartite, tripartite, involving minis ...
.


Diplomatic career, 1940–68

After his failure to establish a new government in 1940, the Pierlot government refused to allow Jaspar to return to a ministerial post. Instead, they offered him a post as ''
chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...
'' (later
minister plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...
) to the
Czechoslovak government in exile The Czechoslovak government-in-exile, sometimes styled officially as the Provisional Government of Czechoslovakia (; ), was an informal title conferred upon the Czechoslovak National Liberation Committee (; ), initially by British diplomatic rec ...
and later the re-established Czechoslovak state from 1940 to 1946. Continuing in the diplomatic service after the war, he held posts in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
(from 1946),
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
(1951), and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
(from 1954). Jaspar's diplomatic career culminated in 1959 when he was appointed Belgian Ambassador to France. He held the post until his retirement in 1968, a term that coincided with the presidency of
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
and the
Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...
.


Personal life

Jaspar was married twice. In 1921, he married Marguerite Mignot, a senator's daughter. They had a son, Pierre, who committed suicide in Prague in 1946. In 1932, he married Betty Halpern de Becker, a
White Russian émigré White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...
of Jewish origin. During his career, Jaspar published numerous books and newspaper articles on political issues, history, and law. He wrote a biography of
Pitt the Elder William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him "Chatham" or "Pitt the Elder" to distinguish him from his son Wi ...
while in London. He published two volumes of memoirs and his personal papers are preserved at the Belgium's State Archives.


Authography

*"La critique du libéralisme social", in ''Le Flambeau'' (1926) *"La question scolaire", in ''Le Flambeau'' (1927) *"Chronique des mauvais jours", in ''Le Flambeau'' (1928) *"La solidarité internationale au XVIIIe siècle", in ''Le Flambeau'' (1933) *''Traité des sociétés anonymes'' (Brussels: Larcier, 1934) *''Ernest Renan et sa république'' (Paris: Editions Albert, 1935) *"Le destin de la France", in ''France Libre'' (15 November 1941) *"William Pitt et le front de l'Ouest", in ''France Libre'' (15 June 1942) *''Le Génie libéral de la France'' (New York: Editions Moretus, 1942) *"William Pitt, earl of Chatham", in ''Message'' (April 1943) *"Le ravitaillement moral", in ''France Libre'' (15 May 1943) *"Un Tournaisien en Angleterre", in ''Message'' (November 1943) *"Saint-Evremond à Londres", in ''France Libre'' (15 October 1945) *''William Pitt, Comte de Chatham'' (Brussels: Editions Lumière, 1947) *''Souvenirs sans retouche'' (Paris: Fayard, 1968) *''Changements de décors'' (Paris: Fayard, 1972)


References


Citations

* * * *


External links


Inventaire des Papiers de Marcel-Henri Jaspar
at the State Archives of Belgium
Marcel-Henri Jaspar
at Belgium-WWII (
Cegesoma The Study and Documentation Centre for War and Contemporary Society (; ), known by its combined French—Dutch acronym Cegesoma or CegeSoma, is a historical research institute and archive based in Anderlecht, Brussels in Belgium. It focusses on Wor ...
) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jaspar, Marcel Henri Liberal Party (Belgium) politicians Belgian people in the United Kingdom during World War II 1901 births 1982 deaths People from Schaerbeek University of Paris alumni Free University of Brussels (1834–1969) alumni 20th-century Belgian lawyers Government ministers of Belgium Ambassadors of Belgium to France Belgian diplomats Belgian expatriates in Egypt Ambassadors of Belgium to Argentina Ambassadors of Belgium to Brazil Ambassadors of Belgium to Sweden