Maurice Auguste, Count Lippens (21 August 1875 – 12 July 1956) was a noble Belgian businessman, politician, and colonial civil servant and lawyer. Born into an influential

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

family, Lippens practiced as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

before entering local politics in his native province of

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

. His business interests included a number of colonial companies. After serving as governor of East Flanders (1919–21), Lippens was recruited to serve as

Governor-General of the Belgian Congo This is a list of European colonial administrators responsible for the territory of the Congo Free State and Belgian Congo (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo). International Association of the Congo Prior to the creation of the Congo ...

(1921–23) in which capacity he launched a major administrative reform. After resigning from the post following disagreement with the colonial administration in Belgium, Lippens returned to his business career and re-entered Belgian politics. After serving in a number of ministerial position, his political career culminated in an appointment as

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

(1934–36). He returned to his business career after resigning from politics in 1936, retiring from business also in 1952. He died in 1956.

Career

Maurice Lippens was born in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in 1875 to a prominent local family. His father, Hippolyte Lippens, had been

Mayor of Ghent This is a list of mayors of Ghent, Belgium: 1800s 1900s 2000s See also * Timeline of Ghent References {{commons category, Mayors of Ghentinfo from het Liberaal Archief(in Dutch) * Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' i ...

(1882–95) and a politician in 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 ...

, serving as a member of the Chamber of Representatives and

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

(1882-1906). His mother came from the aristocratic de Kerchove de Denterghem family. He gained a doctorate in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

from the

University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

and practiced as a lawyer in Ghent. In 1904, Rutten became a provincial councillor for

and, in 1906, was elected mayor of the municipality of

Moerbeke-Waas Moerbeke () is a former municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It is sometimes unofficially called Moerbeke-Waas () to distinguish between this place and in Geraardsbergen. The municipality comprises the town of Moerbeke proper ...

. In 1907, Maurice joined the administrative board of the

Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie The Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (CCCI) was a major conglomerate active in the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo and later the Democratic Republic of the Congo where its subsidiary companies engaged in a wide range of activi ...

(CCCI) replacing his deceased father. During the German occupation of Belgium in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Lippens was involved in resistance and was held as a prisoner from 1915–18. In 1919, he was appointed governor of East Flanders where he reorganised the education and health provisions of the province. Based on his reputation as governor of East Flanders, Lippens was recruited in 1921 by Louis Franck, the Minister of the Colonies and a Liberal politician, to serve as Governor-General in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colonial empire, Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960 and became the Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville). The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Repu ...

. In this role, Lippens began a major series of administrative reforms, decentralising power from the colonial administration in Boma to the Congo's provinces. The colonial budget and education systems were also reformed. Lippens' programme of reforms led to tension between him and Franck, with Lippens demanding much greater autonomy for the Governor-General from the Ministry of the Colonies in Belgium. He reacted angrily to a plan by the Ministry to launch the construction of a railway between Buta and Bambili and, in January 1923, offered his resignation. Retiring from the colonial administration, Lippens remained active in colonial businesses. He became administrator of the

Banque d'Outremer The ''Banque d'Outremer'' (), initially known as the ''Compagnie Internationale pour le Commerce et l'Industrie'' (CICI, ) was a Belgian financial institution, established in 1899 in the context of the exploitation of the Congo Free State, and ev ...

and, returning to his position in the CCCI, later became the board chairman of the CCCI. Among his business interests were Congolese companies producing

cane sugar Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...

and the ''Sucrière congolaise'' company named its first settlement Moerbeke (now

Kwilu Ngongo Kwilu Ngongo is a town in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is located in the Kongo Central province. It is fairly near the Angola border. Transport It is served by a station on the national railway system. See also * Railway ...

) after Lippens' hometown. In 1931, he became a member of the board of the

Société Générale de Belgique The ' (, ; often referred to in Belgium simply as "Société Générale" or SGB) was an investment bank and, subsequently, an industrial and financial conglomerate in Belgium between 1822 and 2003. It has been described as the world's first u ...

, the country's largest

holdings company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own stock of other companies ...

. Lippens re-entered Belgian politics as a Liberal senator in 1925. In 1927, he became Minister for Railways, the Postal Service and Telegraph and, in 1929, Minister of Transport. In 1934, he was appointed to the honorary position of

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

. He became

in November the same year. He did not stand as a candidate in the 1936 elections. Between 1935 and 1939, Lippens was involved in the charitable organisations that founded the

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

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 ...

and the

Academia Belgica The Academia Belgica is an academic organization. The goal of the Academy is to promote the cultural, scientific and artistic cooperation between Italy and Belgium. The organization was founded in 1939 when the Belgian princess Marie-José marr ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Lippens was given the title of Count in 1934. He ran a charity for children in

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

in the

German occupation of Belgium during World War II The German occupation of Belgium (, ) during World War II began on 28 May 1940, when the Belgian army surrendered to German forces, and lasted until Belgium's liberation by the Western Allies between September 1944 and February 1945. It was ...

. He retired from his business interests in 1952 and died in 1956. His daughter Suzanne married Léon Lippens (1911-1986).

Honours

* Minister of State. * Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown.

References

Bibliography

External links

Congo (Kinshasa)

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lippens, Maurice Eugene Auguste 1875 births 1956 deaths Politicians from Ghent 20th-century Belgian civil servants Ministers of state of Belgium Counts of Belgium Businesspeople from Ghent Governors-general of the Belgian Congo Presidents of the Senate (Belgium) Ghent University alumni 20th-century Belgian lawyers 20th-century Belgian businesspeople Governors of East Flanders Mayors of places in Belgium Government ministers of Belgium Members of the Senate (Belgium) Liberal Party (Belgium) politicians

Career

Honours

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links