Henri "Rik" Joseph Boel (5 September 1931 – 13 November 2020) was a Belgian politician and judge.

Biography

Henri Boel was born in

Tienen Tienen (; ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Margriete-Houtem and Viss ...

on 5 September 1931. In 1954 Boel graduated from the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...

as a

Doctor Juris A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other jur ...

. From 1954 to 1986 Boel was active as a lawyer. In the municipal elections of 1958 Boel was elected a city council member for the BSP in Tienen and served until 1986. He became mayor of the city in 1964 and served until 1976, and again from 1983 to 1986. Boel was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (; ; ) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to be the "lower house" of the Federal Parliament. Members and elections Article 62 o ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, and re-elected in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

. From 3 June 1977 to 20 October 1978, Boel served as the

minister of the interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

in the government led by

Leo Tindemans Leonard Clemence "Leo" Tindemans (; 16 April 1922 – 26 December 2014) was a Belgian politician. He served as the prime minister of Belgium from 25 April 1974 until he resigned as minister on 20 October 1978. He was a member of the Christian D ...

, and his successor

Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (, ; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.
Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 201 ...

. Boel became Speaker of the Cultural Council in 1979 (the predecessor of the

Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...

) and, after it was reformed into the ''Vlaamse Raad'', remained its speaker until December 1981. In

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

Boel was elected to the

Belgian Senate The Senate ( ; ; ) is one of the two chambers of the Bicameralism, bicameral Belgian Federal Parliament, Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium), Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be ...

. After he was appointed as a judge in the Court of Arbitration in 1986, Boel resigned all his political mandates. Boel served on the Court from 1986 until his retirement in 2001. From March 2001 until his retirement in September 2001, he served as President of the Dutch linguistic group on the Court. Boel died on 13 November 2020 at home in Tienen.

References

External links

Profile of Henri Boel at the website of the Flemish Parliament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boel, Rik 1931 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Belgian judges Belgian Socialist Party politicians Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Constitutional Court of Belgium judges Flemish lawyers Ministers of the interior of Belgium Mayors of places in Belgium Members of the 39th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 40th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 41st Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 42nd Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 43rd Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 44th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the Senate (Belgium) People from Tienen Vooruit (political party) politicians