Alfred Defuisseaux (9 December 1843 – 11 November 1901) was a Belgian lawyer, writer, journalist, socialist, and politician.
Alfred Defuisseaux | |
|---|---|
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfred Eloi Nicolas Defuisseaux 9 December 1843 Mons, Hainaut Province, Belgium |
| Died | 11 November 1901 (aged 57) Nimy, Mons, Hainaut Province, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgium |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Relations | Philippe Joseph Defuisseaux (grandfather) Nicolas Defuisseaux (father) Léon Defuisseaux (brother) |
| Occupation | Lawyer Politician |
Biography
editAlfred Eloi Nicolas Defuisseaux was born into a family of six in Mons, Hainaut Province, Belgium on 9 December 1843.[1] His father was a Belgian lawyer and industrialist named Nicolas Defuisseaux.[2] Alfred's grandfather, Philippe Joseph Defuisseaux, played a notable role in declaring the establishment of the French republic in the city of Mons in 1792.[3]
Alfred Defuisseaux graduated as a Doctor of Law at the Free University of Brussels in 1868, registering as a lawyer at the Mons bar.[4] His early legal practice centred on defending the working class through Workers' compensation cases, specifically representing coal miners who were victims of firedamp.[5]
In 1870, Alfred helped the campaign of his older brother Léon, who was elected a Liberal Democratic Member of parliament.[4] He also became an activist for universal suffrage.[6]
Defuisseaux published A People's Catechism (French: Le catéchisme du peuple) in March 1886, which sold over 500,000 copies in working-class circles. This work aimed at educating the people against the ruling classes and the State before the eventual Belgian strike of 1886 occurred in the Province of Hainaut.[7] His involvement led to his conviction by the Brabant Assizes, resulting in two six-month prison sentences. Fleeing to France before the verdict, he continued his political and journalistic efforts, and within five years, he was sentenced in absentia to 29 years in prison.[5]
At the 1894 elections for the district of Mons, Defuisseaux represented Belgium's Socialist Party who backed him to win a seat in the Chamber of Representatives in the Belgian Parliament.[5]
As a member of the Commission of the XXI, formed on 13 February 1895, he took part in reviewing the draft law for the Congo's transfer to Belgium, alongside 14 Catholics, 4 socialists, and 3 liberals.[5]
He was reelected as a socialist deputy in the Chamber of Representatives of Belgium for the district of Mons in 1898.[8]
On 1 September 1900, he retired to Nimy in the city of Mons, Belgium.[5]
Death
editAlfred Defuisseaux died on 11 November 1901 in Nimy, Mons, Hainaut Province, Belgium.[5]
Works
editExternal links
edit
Media related to Alfred Defuisseaux at Wikimedia Commons
References
edit- ^ Puissant, J. (1993). L'évolution du mouvement ouvrier socialiste dans le Borinage. Belgium: Académie royale de Belgique.
- ^ Goldberg, M. (2005). Dictionnaire historique de la laïcité en Belgique. Belgium: Fondation rationaliste et les Éditions Luc Pire.
- ^ Cahiers. (1971). Belgium: Éditions Nauwelaerts.
- ^ a b Delsinne, L. (1955). Le Parti ouvrier belge des origines à 1894. Belgium: Renaissance du livre.
- ^ a b c d e f Biographie coloniale belge: Belgische koloniale biografie. (1952). Belgium: Librairie Falk fils.
- ^ Pirotte, A. (1997). L'apport des courants régionalistes et dialectaux au mouvement wallon naissant: un enquête dans les publications d'Action Wallonne de 1890 à 1914. Belgium: Collège Erasme, Bureau du Recueil.
- ^ Landauer, Carl (2024-04-05). European Socialism, Volume I: From the Industrial Revolution to the First World War and Its Aftermath. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-37320-4.
- ^ Compte rendu du ... congrès annuel. (1895). Belgium: Impr. Brismée.
- ^ Defuisseaux, A. (1886). Le catéchisme du peuple. Belgium: Maheu.
- ^ Defuisseaux, A. (1887). Contes moraux à l'usage du peuple. Belgium: La République Belge.