Émile Francqui
| Émile Francqui | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Francqui
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| Born |
June 25, 1863 Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | November 1, 1935 (aged 72) Overijse, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist, soldier, diplomat |
Émile Francqui (French: [fʁɑ̃ki]; 25 June 1863 in Brussels – 1 November 1935 in Brussels) was a Belgian soldier, diplomat, business man and philanthropist.
As an orphan, Émile Francqui was sent to a military school when he was just 15 years old. At the age of 21, like many young officers, he was sent to Congo Free State by king Leopold II of Belgium.
In 1896, he became the Belgian consul in Imperial China and stayed there until 1902. In China he met the future American president Herbert Hoover during negotiations concerning the granting of the Hankow-Canton railroad concession in China in 1901. Although they were competitors, they respected each other very much and became friends.
Francqui returned to Belgium in 1902, and began a financial career. He became the Managing Director of the Banque d'Outremer, and Managing Director of the Union Minière du Haut Katanga (UMHK). Ten years after his return to Belgium, he became Director of the Société Générale de Belgique, and in 1932 became its Governor. During World War I he was President of the Belgian Comité National de Secours et d'Alimentation (National Aid and Food Committee, abbreviated to CNSA). During World War I, Herbert Hoover in the United States set up the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) to support the CNSA abroad.
After the war the remaining resources of the committee were decided to be used for the rebuilding of Belgium. Émile Francqui wanted to invest in the universities as a means for rebuilding the country. In 1920 the University Foundation was founded by Émile Francqui. In addition the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF) was founded for the exchange of students between Belgium and the United States. Émile Francqui was involved, with Félicien Cattier, in the establishment of the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS).
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