Henri Carton de Wiart
Henri Carton de Wiart (
January 31,
1869 -
May 6 1951) was
Prime Minister of Belgium from
November 20,
1920 to
May 6,
1921. He was from an aristocratic family.
Born in
Brussels, Carton De Wiart studied law and became a lawyer. He was elected to the Belgian House of Representatives as a left wing Catholic Party member in 1896. He remained a Member of Parliament until his death in 1951.
Besides serving as Prime Minister from 1920 to 1921 in a government of National Union (christian-democrats, liberals and socialists), he served as
Minister of Justice from 1911 to 1918 and as Minister of Labour, Social Services and Hygiene from
1932 to
1934. After the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940, Carton de Wiart accompagnied the Belgian government into exile in
London. Having been given the honorific title of Minister of State, Carton de Wiart again served as Minister of Justice for a short time in
1950.
Carton de Wiart was a cousin of the famous British general, Sir
Adrian Carton De Wiart.
