Julien Liebaert

Julien Auguste Marie Joseph, Baron Liebaert was a Belgian Member of Parliament, Senator and Minister for the Catholic Party.

Biography

Liebaert was a son of Auguste and Louise Liebaert Peel. He married Marie Debontridder in 1874. They had two sons and a daughter. Their daughter married representative and senator Jean Mahieu.
Liebaert obtained a doctorate in law and doctorate in political and administrative sciences from the Catholic University of Leuven. He established himself as a lawyer in Brussels and then in Kortrijk.
He was elected member of the provincial council and deputy of West Flanders.
In 1890 he was elected deputy for the constituency of Kortrijk and held this office until 1919. He was elected senator in 1919 for the same district, and would sit as a co-opted senator from 1925 to 1929.
Liebaert went through a varied ministerial career for twelve years as:

Finance Minister in the government of Prime Minister Jules Vandenpeereboom
Minister of Industry and Labour in the government of Paul de Smet de Naeyer
Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Railways in the government of Paul de Smet de Naeyer
Finance Minister in the governments of Jules de Trooz and Frans Schollaert.

In 1912 he was appointed Minister of State and he became director and governor of the National Bank of Belgium.

Honours

Created Baron Liebaert, by Royal Decree of 1930.
Minister of State, by Royal Decree.
Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold.
Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown
Knight Grand Cross in the imperial Order of the Double Dragon.