Camille de Briey


Camille de Briey was a Belgian industrialist, politician and diplomat.

Early life

Camille was born in Ruette, Virton, Belgium on 27 June 1799 to Louis Briey and Anne de Pouilly. He received his secondary education at the Imperial College of Metz. After graduating, he spent time at the court of Saxe-Coburg with his cousin Emmanuel von Mensdorff-Pouilly. On 29 September 1829 he married Caroline Beauffort. After the July Revolution and the fall of the House of Bourbon in 1830, Camille moved to Austria but returned to Belgium in 1832 after Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was proclaimed king.

Industrial career

For a few years, Camille attempted to revive the field of metallurgy in the province of Luxembourg by buying the Perrard institutions in Virton, in 1835.

Political/diplomatic career

In 1838, Camille delegated the management of his business to a Frenchman and entered politics. In 1839, he was elected as senator and held the position until 1848. In 1841, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs and Finance in the cabinet of Jean-Baptiste Nothomb.
He then embarked on a diplomatic career and became Minister of Belgium in the Russian Empire and then to the German Confederation, spending ten years at the Diet of Frankfurt.
He was instrumental in the construction of the Château de Laclaireau.

Honours