Georges (George) Emile Léonard Theunis (28 February 1873 – 4 January 1966) was the prime minister of Belgium from 16 December 1921 to 13 May 1925 and again from 20 November 1934 to 25 March 1935. He was governor of the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) in exile in London, from 1941 until 1944. He was also the minister of Finance from 1920 to 1925.

Georges Theunis
Theunis in 1921
Prime Minister of Belgium
In office
20 November 1934 – 25 March 1935
MonarchLeopold III
Preceded byCharles de Broqueville
Succeeded byPaul van Zeeland
In office
16 December 1921 – 13 May 1925
MonarchAlbert I
Preceded byHenri Carton de Wiart
Succeeded byAloys Van de Vyvere
Governor of the National Bank of Belgium
In office
1941–1944
Preceded byAlbert Goffin
Succeeded byMaurice Frère
Personal details
Born(1873-02-28)28 February 1873
Montegnée, Belgium
Died4 January 1966(1966-01-04) (aged 92)
Brussels, Belgium
Political partyCatholic Party

Life

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Theunis received military training and was also trained as an engineer. Georges Theunis started his career in the Empain group, where he was an administrator and later the president of the board of ACEC. During World War I, he headed the Belgian Wartime Provisions Commission in London. After the war he was involved in the Paris Peace Conference, in 1919 and served as the Belgian delegate to the Reparations Commission. In May 1927 he chaired the World Economic Conference in Geneva.

In 1926 Theunis joined the newly formed council of Regency of the National Bank, together with Emile Francqui, and remained a member until the war, except for two breaks during his ministerial duties. As regents of the NBB, both Theunis and Francqui represented the power which the large private banks had gained since 1926. During World War II he served as a special ambassador to the United States of America. In 1941, he was appointed governor of the National Bank of Belgium by the Pierlot government in exile at London instead of Albert Goffin who had been appointed by Secretary General Charles Plisnier. On his return to Belgium after the war, he resigned as governor of the NBB.

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "THEUNIS". www.ars-moriendi.be. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. ^ "ODIS". www.odis.be. Retrieved 11 August 2018.

Sources

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Further reading

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Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Belgium
1921–1925
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Belgium
1934–1935
Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor of the National Bank of Belgium
1941–1944
Succeeded by