Paul Vanden Boeynants
| Paul Vanden Boeynants | |
|---|---|
 Paul Vanden Boeynants in 1966 | |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
|
In office 20 October 1978 – 3 March 1979 | |
| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Leo Tindemans |
| Succeeded by | Wilfried Martens |
|
In office 19 March 1966 – 17 July 1968 | |
| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Pierre Harmel |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Eyskens |
| Minister of Defense | |
|
In office 1972–1979 | |
| Prime Minister |
Gaston Eyskens Edmond Leburton Leo Tindemans |
| Preceded by | Paul Willem Segers |
| Succeeded by | José Desmarets |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 May 1919 Forest, Belgium |
| Died |
9 January 2001 (aged 81) Aalst, Belgium |
| Political party | Humanist Democratic Centre |
Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants (pronounced [ˈpʌul vɑndɛn ˈbuinɑnts]; 22 May 1919 – 9 January 2001) was a Belgian politician.[1] He served as the 41st Prime Minister of Belgium for two brief periods (1966–68 and 1978–79).[1]
Career
Vanden Boeynants (called "VDB" by journalists) was born in Forest / Vorst, a municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region. Active as a businessman in the meat industry, he was a Representative for the PSC-CVP between 1949 and 1979. From 1961 to 1966 he led the Christian democrat PSC-CVP (which was in those days a single party). He led the CEPIC, its conservative fraction.
Vanden Boeynants served as minister for the middle class (1958-1961). In 1966, he became Prime Minister of Belgium; he stayed in this post for two years. From 1972-1979 he served as minister of defense. In 1978–1979 he led another Belgian government. Vanden Boeynants then served as chairman of the PSC (1979-1981). He left politics in 1995, and died of pneumonia after undergoing cardiovascular surgery in 2001.
One of his famous expressions, in a unique mixture of Dutch and French, was: Trop is te veel en te veel is trop. ("too many is too much and too much is too many").[2]
Fraud
Convicted in 1986 for fraud and tax evasion, Vanden Boeynants escaped jail but was sentenced to three years'[2] This prevented him from pursuing mayoral aspirations in Brussels. He underwent a political rehabilitation during the early 1990s.
Kidnapping
In a bizarre incident that is still the subject of dispute, Vanden Boeynants was kidnapped on 14 January 1989 by members of the Haemers criminal gang.[3] Three days later, the criminals published a note in the leading Brussels newspaper Le Soir, demanding 30 million Belgian francs in ransom. Vanden Boeynants was released (physically unharmed) a month later, on 13 February, when an undisclosed ransom was paid to the perpetrators. Patrick Haemers, the head of the gang, later committed suicide in prison,[4] whereas two members of his gang managed to escape from the St-Gillis Prison in 1993.
Honours
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Belgium: Minister of State , by Royal Decree. [5] - Belgium: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold. [6]
- Belgium: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Leopold II. [7]
- Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saints Michael and George. [8]
- Grand Officer in the Legion of Honour. [9]
Literature
- N. HIRSON, Paul Vanden Boeynants, Brussels, 1969.
- Paul DEBOGNE, Les Amis de Paul Vanden Boeynants et leurs Affaires, Ed. Vie Ouvrière, Brussel, 1970.
- R. STUYCK, Paul Vanden Boeynants, boeman of supermen?, Brussels, 1973.
- Els CLEEMPUT & Alain GUILLAUME, La rançon d'une vie. Paul Vanden Boeynants 30 jours aux mains de Patrick Haemers, Brussels, 1990.
- D. ILEGEMS & J. WILLEMS, De avonturen van VDB, Brussels, 1991.
- P. HAVAUX & P. MARLET, Sur la piste du crocodile, Brussels, 1994.
- Armand DE DECKER, In memoriam Paul Vanden Boeynants, Belgian Senate, 18 January 2001.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paul Vanden Boeynants. |
- 1 2 January 2001. Rulers. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- 1 2 "In memoriam", De Standaard, 9 January 2001
- ↑ Dick Leonard (16 January 2001) Paul Vanden Boeynants. The Independent, Retrieved 3 April 2011
- ↑ Death sentence for gangsters. The Independent, 30 January 1994, Retrieved 3 April 2011
- ↑ http://www.ars-moriendi.be/VAN_DEN_BOEYNANTS.HTM
- ↑ http://www.ars-moriendi.be/VAN_DEN_BOEYNANTS.HTM
- ↑ http://www.ars-moriendi.be/VAN_DEN_BOEYNANTS.HTM
- ↑ http://www.ars-moriendi.be/VAN_DEN_BOEYNANTS.HTM
- ↑ http://www.ars-moriendi.be/VAN_DEN_BOEYNANTS.HTM
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Pierre Harmel |
Prime Minister of Belgium 1966–1968 |
Succeeded by Gaston Eyskens |
| Preceded by Paul Willem Segers |
Minister of Defense 1972–1979 |
Succeeded by José Desmarets |
| Preceded by Leo Tindemans |
Prime Minister of Belgium 1978–1979 |
Succeeded by Wilfried Martens |
