Editing Paul-Émile Janson

{{Short description|Belgian politician (1872–1944)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name        = Paul-Émile Janson
|image       = Paul-Emile_Janson.jpg
|caption     = Portrait of Paul-Émile Janson
|office      = [[Prime Minister of Belgium]]
|monarch     = [[Leopold III of Belgium|Leopold III]]
|term_start  = 23 November 1937
|term_end    = 15 May 1938
|predecessor = [[Paul van Zeeland]]
|successor   = [[Paul-Henri Spaak]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1872|5|30|df=y}}
|birth_place = [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]]
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1944|3|3|1872|5|30|df=y}}
|death_place = [[Buchenwald concentration camp]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]]
|party       = [[Liberal Party (Belgium)|Liberal Party]]
|alma_mater  = [[Free University of Brussels (1834–1969)|Free University of Brussels]]
}}
'''Paul-Émile (Paul Emil) Janson''' (30 May 1872 – 3 March 1944) was a francophone [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[liberalism|liberal]] politician who served as the [[Prime Minister of Belgium]] from 1937 to 1938. During the [[German occupation of Belgium during World War II|German occupation]], he was arrested as a [[political prisoner]] and died in a German concentration camp in 1944.

==Biography==
Born in [[Brussels]], Janson was the son of liberal statesman [[Paul Janson]] (died 1913).<ref>Bulletin de la Classe des lettres et des sciences morales 1973 "Paul Janson ne connaissait pas le flamand, ce qui, disait-il, lui causait du regret"</ref> He studied law at the Free University of Brussels (now split into the [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] and the [[Vrije Universiteit Brussel]]), practised as a lawyer, and also taught at the university.

===Political career===
Janson was elected as a liberal to the [[Belgian Chamber of Representatives]] in [[1910 Belgian general election|1910]]. He was not re-elected in [[1912 Belgian general election|1912]], but he was again elected in [[1914 Belgian general election|1914]]. He held various minister posts including War (1920), Justice (1927–1931; 1932–1934; 1939, 1940) and [[minister without portfolio]] (1940–1944). He was made an honorary [[Minister of State (Belgium)|Minister of State]] in 1931.

He served as the [[List of Prime Ministers of Belgium|30th Prime Minister of Belgium]] in 1937–1938. In the early part of the [[Second World War]], Janson served as Foreign minister, and as minister without portfolio, in the government of [[Hubert Pierlot]]. He remained in France when the government in exile moved to [[London]]. In 1943 he was detained by the occupying [[German Army (1935–1945)|German forces]] and incarcerated in [[Buchenwald concentration camp]]. He died there in 1944.<ref>Betty Garfinkels ''Belgique, terre d'accueil: problème du réfugié : 1933–1940'' 1974 "Mieux que tout autre, Paul-Emile Janson mettait en pratique ce qu'il disait. Conciliateur et tolérant, il était aussi le pacificateur du clan Janson qui se réunissait régulièrement dans la propriété de Chooz. Son humour, que tant de personnes appréciaient lors des séances de la Chambre, vida bien des différends entre sœurs et alliés, entre enfants et parents. ll ne lui resta guère de temppour voyager. ... Et cependant, là encore, il réunissait autour de lui ses compagnons d'infortune qu'il réconfortait. Le 3 mars 1944, il s'éteignit dans les bras d'Albert François."</ref><ref>Bulletin de la Classe des lettres et des sciences morales  1973 "Le 27 janvier 1944, en compagnie de Soudan, il était, dans un convoi de wagons à bestiaux, envoyé à Buchenwald. ... Le 3 mars 1944, dans les bras de son compagnon de captivité Albert François, ancien sénateur socialiste, il mourait .."</ref>

His sister [[Marie Janson]] was the first woman to be elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 1921 and the mother of [[Paul-Henri Spaak]], Janson's nephew and the man who directly succeeded him as Prime Minister in 1938.

== Honours ==
* Minister of state, by Royal Decree.
* Commander in the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]].<ref>RD 15.11.1921</ref>

==Commemoration==
* A street in [[Ixelles]] is named ''Rue Paul Emile Janson'' in his honour.
* The [[Université libre de Bruxelles]] has an auditorium named after him.
* a subway (metro) station in [[Charleroi]] is named after him.

==See also==
* [[Liberal Party (Belgium)|Liberal Party]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* D'Ydewalle, Ch., Silhouettes politiques : Paul-Emile Janson, in : Revue Générale, LXII, 1929, p.&nbsp;86–90.
* Miroir, A., in : Parisel, W., Histoire de La Loge ''Les Vrais amis de l'Union et du Progrès Réunis'' 1892–1980, Brussel, 1980, p.&nbsp;283–285.
* Stengers, J., Paul-Emile Janson, in : Académie Royale de Belgique, Bulletin de la Commission des Lettres et des Sciences Morales et Politiques, 5e série, LIX, 1973–1976, p.&nbsp;202–281.

==External links==
* [http://www.liberaalarchief.be/vraagbaak_janson2.html Paul-Emile Janson] at Liberaal Archief
* [http://premier.fgov.be/fr/biografie/paul-emile-janson Paul-Emile Janson]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} at the Prime Minister's Office

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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Paul van Zeeland]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Belgium]]|years=1937–1938}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Paul-Henri Spaak]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{BelgianPrimeMinisters}}
{{Justice Ministers of Belgium}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janson, Paul-Emile}}
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1944 deaths]]
[[Category:Ministers of state of Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgian people who died in Buchenwald concentration camp]]
[[Category:Free University of Brussels (1834–1969) alumni]]
[[Category:Politicians who died in Nazi concentration camps]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgian civilians killed in World War II]]
[[Category:Members of the Belgian government in exile]]
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[[Category:Politicians from Brussels]]
[[Category:Ministers of defence of Belgium]]