Jean-Baptiste Nothomb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 13 April 1841 – 30 July 1845 | |
| Monarch | Leopold I |
| Preceded by | Joseph Lebeau |
| Succeeded by | Sylvain Van de Weyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1805-07-03)3 July 1805 |
| Died | 16 September 1881(1881-09-16) (aged 76) Berlin,Germany |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Alma mater | University of Liège |
Jean-Baptiste, Baron Nothomb (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃batistbaʁɔ̃nɔtɔ̃]; 3 July 1805 – 16 September 1881[1]) was aBelgian statesman and diplomat, who served as theprime minister of Belgium from 1841 to 1845.
Born atMessancy inLuxembourg on 3 July 1805, he was educated at theAthénée de Luxembourg and theUniversity of Liège, and was in Luxemburg when theRevolution of August broke out, but was nominated a member of the commission appointed to draw up theConstitution.[2]
Nothomb became a member of the national congress, and became secretary-general of the ministry of foreign affairs underÉrasme-Louis Surlet de Chokier. He supported the candidature of theOrléanistLouis, Duke of Nemours, and joined in the proposal to offer the crown toPrince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, being one of the delegates sent to London.[2]
When theEighteen Articles of theTreaty of London were replaced by the Twenty-four less favorable to Belgium, he insisted on the need for compliance, and in 1839 he faced violent opposition to support the territorial cessions inLimburg and Luxemburg, which had remained an open question so long as the Netherlands refused to acknowledge theTwenty-four Articles.[2]
HisEssai historique et politique sur la révolution belge (1838) won for him the praise of Palmerston and the cross of theLegion of Honor fromFrench kingLouis Philippe. In 1837 he became minister of public works. The rapid development of theBelgian railway system, and the increase in themining industry, were largely due to him.[2]
In 1840 he was sent as Belgian envoy to theGerman Confederation, and in 1841, on the fall of the Lebeau ministry, he organized the new cabinet, reserving for himself the portfolio of minister of the interior. In1845 he was defeated, and retired from theBelgian Parliament, but he held a number of diplomatic appointments before his death in Berlin.[2]
Anhalt : Knight Grand Cross in theOrder of Albert the Bear.[3]
Kingdom of Belgium : Grand Cordon in theOrder of Leopold.[3]
Kingdom of Prussia : Knight 1st Class;Order of the Red Eagle.[3]
Kingdom of France : Knight Grand Cross in theLegion of Honour.[3]
Kingdom of Portugal :
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha: Knight Grand Cross in theSaxe-Ernestine House Order.[3]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Nothomb, Jean Baptiste, Baron".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 823.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belgium 1841–1845 | Succeeded by |
