Minister of State (Belgium)

The Minister of State (Dutch: Minister van Staat, French: Ministre d'État, German: Staatsminister) is an honorary title in Belgium. It is formally granted by the Belgian monarch, but on the initiative of the Belgian federal government. It is given on a personal basis, for life rather than for a specified period. The title is granted for exceptional merits, generally to senior politicians at the end of their party careers. It is not lost after a criminal conviction (Guy Spitaels, Willy Claes). Ministers of state are often former cabinet members or party leaders. Ministers of State advise the Sovereign in delicate situations, with moral authority but without formal competence. They are also members of the Crown Council of Belgium.

List of living ministers of state

Former ministers of state

Date of appointment Name Birth
Death
12 November 1831 Félix de Mérode 1791–1857
12 November 1831 Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt 1794–1874
12 November 1831 Felix de Muelenaere 1793–1862
17 September 1832 Albert Goblet d'Alviella 1790–1873
8 August 1834 Auguste Duvivier 1772–1846
19 August 1836 Louis Evain [fr] 1775–1852
19 June 1845 Jean-Baptiste Nothomb 1805–1881
30 July 1845 Edouard d'Huart 1800–1884
12 August 1845 Edouard Mercier 1799–1870
12 August 1847 Charles Liedts 1802–1878
12 August 1847 Henri de Brouckère 1801–1891
6 June 1856 Jules Joseph d'Anethan 1803–1888
6 June 1856 Adolphe Dechamps 1807–1875
6 June 1856 Charles Le Hon 1792–1868
12 November 1857 Joseph Lebeau 1794–1866
12 November 1857 Noël Delfosse 1801–1858
3 June 1861 Walthère Frère-Orban 1812–1896
4 November 1861 Adolphe de Vrière [fr] 1806–1885
13 May 1863 Eugène de Ligne 1804–1880
13 May 1863 Sylvain Van de Weyer 1802–1874
6 June 1863 Constant d'Hoffschmidt 1804–1873
4 January 1868 Charles Rogier 1800–1885
4 January 1868 Alphonse Vandenpeereboom 1812–1884
24 July 1870 Jules Malou 1810–1886
7 July 1872 Barthélemy Dumortier 1797–1878
1 May 1875 Charles Vilain XIIII 1803–1878
1 May 1875 Hubert Dolez 1808–1880
7 January 1879 François D'Elhoungne 1815–1892
7 January 1879 Auguste Orts 1814–1880
18 June 1884 Eudore Pirmez 1830–1890
25 January 1885 Auguste Lambermont 1819–1905
20 May 1888 Victor Jacobs 1838–1891
20 May 1888 Charles Delcour 1811–1889
9 June 1890 Théophile de Lantsheere 1833–1918
9 June 1890 Karel de Mérode-Westerloo 1824–1892
9 June 1890 Henri t'Kint de Roodenbeke 1817–1900
15 November 1891 Louis de Jonghe d'Ardoye 1820–1893
15 November 1891 Jules Guillery 1824–1902
15 November 1891 Charles Woeste 1837–1922
28 March 1894 August Beernaert 1829–1912
28 March 1894 Jules Le Jeune 1828–1911
9 November 1897 Pierre Tack 1818–1910
24 January 1899 Paul de Smet de Naeyer 1843–1913
7 May 1900 Joseph Devolder 1842–1919
7 May 1900 Charles Graux 1837–1910
7 May 1900 Jules Vandenpeereboom 1843–1917
1 May 1907 Paul de Favereau 1856–1922
1 May 1907 Jules Van den Heuvel 1854–1926
6 May 1907 Frans Schollaert 1851–1917
6 May 1907 Jules Greindl 1835–1917
6 May 1907 Émile Dupont 1834–1912
22 February 1912 Julien Liebaert 1848–1930
23 February 1912 Gérard Cooreman 1852–1926
23 February 1912 Joris Helleputte 1852–1925
23 February 1912 Xavier Neujean 1840–1914
23 February 1912 Louis Huysmans 1844–1915
14 August 1912 Louis De Sadeleer 1852–1924
14 August 1912 Paul Janson 1840–1913
2 August 1914 Paul Hymans 1865–1941
4 August 1914 Emile Vandervelde 1866–1938
26 July 1915 Eugène Beyens 1855–1934
31 May 1918 Charles de Broqueville 1860–1940
21 November 1918 Paul Segers 1870–1946
21 November 1918 Henri Carton de Wiart 1869–1951
21 November 1918 Aloys Van de Vyvere 1871–1961
21 November 1918 Ernest Solvay 1838–1922
21 November 1918 Michel Levie 1851–1939
21 November 1918 Adolphe Max 1869–1939
21 November 1918 Emile Francqui 1863–1935
21 November 1918 Paul Van Hoegaerden 1858–1922
21 November 1918 Paul Berryer 1868–1936
21 November 1918 Léon Colleaux 1865–1950
21 November 1918 Louis Bertrand 1856–1943
2 June 1920 Jules Renkin 1862–1934
20 November 1920 Léon Delacroix 1867–1929
11 March 1924 Henri Jaspar 1870–1939
2 April 1925 Emile Brunet 1863–1945
2 April 1925 Alexandre Braun 1847–1935
2 April 1925 Charles Magnette 1863–1937
13 May 1925 Georges Theunis 1873–1966
13 May 1925 Fulgence Masson 1854–1942
20 May 1926 Prosper Poullet 1868–1937
27 September 1926 Louis Franck 1868–1937
13 October 1926 Jean Servais 1856–1946
8 April 1930 Emile Tibbaut 1862–1935
8 April 1930 Edward Anseele 1856–1938
8 April 1930 Albert Devèze 1881–1959
6 June 1931 Paul-Emile Janson 1872–1944
6 June 1931 Frans Van Cauwelaert 1880–1961
22 February 1932 Maurice Houtart 1866–1939
23 September 1932 Jules Poncelet 1869–1952
23 September 1932 Xavier Neujean 1865–1940
31 July 1934 Maurice Lippens 1875–1956
31 July 1934 Cyrille Van Overbergh 1866–1959
3 September 1945 Louis de Brouckère 1870–1951
3 September 1945 Achille Delattre 1879–1964
3 September 1945 Octave Dierckx 1882–1955
3 September 1945 Frans Fischer 1875–1949
3 September 1945 Robert Gillon 1884–1972
3 September 1945 Camille Gutt 1884–1971
3 September 1945 Henri Heyman 1879–1958
3 September 1945 Georges Hubin 1863–1947
3 September 1945 Camille Huysmans 1871–1968
3 September 1945 Victor Maistriau 1870–1961
3 September 1945 Joseph Merlot 1886–1959
3 September 1945 Hubert Pierlot 1883–1963
3 September 1945 Eugène Soudan 1880–1960
3 September 1945 Paul Tschoffen 1878–1961
13 February 1946 Romain Moyersoen 1870–1967
21 July 1948 Henri Rolin 1891–1973
21 July 1948 Paul Van Zeeland 1893–1973
21 July 1948 August De Schryver 1898–1991
21 July 1948 Max Buset 1896–1959
24 June 1949 Albert-Edouard Janssen 1883–1969
11 August 1949 Paul-Henri Spaak 1899–1972
24 December 1950 Cassian Lohest 1894–1951
23 December 1958 Théo Lefèvre 1914–1973
23 December 1958 Roger Motz 1904–1964
23 December 1958 Paul Struye 1896–1974
23 December 1958 Achiel Van Acker 1898–1975
5 April 1963 Paul Kronacker 1897–1994
5 April 1963 Gaston Eyskens 1905–1988
5 April 1963 Leo Collard 1902–1981
5 April 1963 Charles du Bus de Warnaffe 1894–1965
5 April 1963 Joseph Lemaire 1882–1966
12 July 1966 Joseph Pholien 1884–1968
12 July 1966 Jean Van Houtte 1907–1991
12 July 1966 René Lefebvre 1893–1976
12 July 1966 Antoon Spinoy 1906–1967
12 July 1966 Paul-Willem Segers 1900–1983
12 July 1966 Piet Vermeylen 1904–1991
12 July 1966 Oscar Behogne 1900–1970
12 July 1966 Omer Vanaudenhove 1913–1994
12 July 1966 Maurice Destenay 1900–1973
12 July 1966 Émile Cornez 1900–1967
15 July 1969 Paul Vanden Boeynants 1919–2001
15 July 1969 Albert Lilar 1900–1976
15 July 1969 Robert Houben 1905–1992
15 July 1969 Léon-Eli Troclet 1902–1980
15 July 1969 Jos Van Eynde [nl] 1907–1992
22 February 1971 Edmond Leburton 1915–1997
23 February 1972 Jean Rey 1902–1983
20 February 1973 Pierre Harmel 1911–2009
30 March 1973 Louis Major 1902–1985
30 March 1973 Edmond Machtens 1902–1978
30 March 1973 Pierre Descamps 1916–1992
30 March 1973 August Cool 1903–1983
18 October 1974 Marguerite De Riemaecker-Legot 1923–1977
18 October 1974 Marc-Antoine Pierson 1908–1988
18 October 1974 Frans Grootjans 1922–1999
14 February 1977 Raymond Scheyven 1911–1987
14 February 1977 Raoul Vreven 1900–1979
14 February 1977 Alfons Vranckx 1907–1979
14 February 1977 Robert Henrion 1915–1997
4 October 1978 Jos De Saeger 1911–1998
2 December 1983 Ward Leemans 1926–1998
2 December 1983 André Cools 1927–1991
2 December 1983 Herman Vanderpoorten 1922–1984
2 December 1983 Jean Defraigne 1929–2016
2 December 1983 Michel Toussaint 1922–2007
2 December 1983 Alfred Califice 1916–1999
2 December 1983 Frans Van der Elst 1920–1997
2 December 1983 August Vanistendael 1917–2003
2 December 1983 Antoinette Spaak 1928–2020
2 December 1983 Guy Spitaels 1931–2012
6 January 1985 Willy Declercq 1927–2011
6 June 1985 Frank Van Acker 1929–1992
7 March 1992 Wilfried Martens 1936–2013
26 May 1992 Paula D'Hondt 1926–2022
26 May 1992 Jean Gol 1942–1995
26 May 1992 Arthur Gilson 1915–2004
26 May 1992 Irène Pétry 1922–2007
26 May 1992 Gilbert Temmerman 1928–2012
26 May 1992 Leo Tindemans 1922–2014
26 May 1992 Renaat Van Elslande 1916–2000
26 May 1992 Karel Van Miert 1942–2009
10 September 1993 Andries Kinsbergen 1926–2016
30 January 1995 Philippe Moureaux 1939–2018
30 January 1995 Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb 1936-2023
30 January 1995 Frank Swaelen 1930–2007
30 January 1995 Hugo Schiltz 1927–2006
17 July 1998 Gaston Geens 1931–2002
17 July 1998 Antoine Duquesne 1941–2010
17 July 1998 Philippe Maystadt 1948–2017
17 July 1998 Robert Urbain 1930–2018
12 July 1999 Jean-Luc Dehaene 1940–2014
28 January 2002 Daniel Ducarme 1954–2010
28 January 2002 Roger Lallemand 1932–2016
28 January 2002 Jacky Morael 1959–2016
1 August 2003 Luc Coene 1947–2017
26 January 2004 Jaak Gabriëls 1943–2024
26 January 2004 Steve Stevaert 1954–2015
24 November 2009 Jos Chabert 1933–2014
24 November 2009 Armand De Decker 1948–2019
7 December 2009 Karel Poma 1920–2014

External links

Media related to Ministers of State of Belgium at Wikimedia Commons