Pierre Ryckmans (governor-general)
| Pierre Ryckmans | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Governor-General of Belgian Congo | |
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In office 14 September 1934 – 31 December 1946 |
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| Monarch | Leopold III |
| Preceded by | Auguste Tilkens |
| Succeeded by | Eugène Jungers |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 November 1891 Antwerp, Belgium |
| Died | 18 February 1959 (aged 67) Uccle, Belgium |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Leuven |
Pierre Ryckmans (23 November 1891 – 18 February 1959) was a Belgian civil servant who served as Governor-General of the Belgium's principal African colony, the Belgian Congo, between 1934 and 1946. Ryckmans began his career in the colonial service in 1915 and also spent time in the Belgian mandate of Ruanda-Urundi. His term as Governor-General of the Congo coincided with World War II in which he was instrumental in bringing the colony into the war on the Allied side after Belgium's defeat in May 1940. He was also a prolific writer on colonial affairs.
Ryckmans was born in Antwerp, Belgium as the sixth child of Alphonse Ryckmans and Clémence Van Ryn. The Ryckmans family originally came from Mechelen where his ancestors were lawyers for two generations. His father Alphonse was a prominent member of the Catholic Party, a senator in the Belgian Senate, and city councillor.
Ryckmans enrolled at the Catholic University of Leuven in Leuven to study philosophy. During his first year of studies he translated a novel by the Spanish writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. After two years of philosophy studies and one year of preparation for law school, he spent one more year in Braunfels, Germany (learning German), and then several months in Galway, Ireland (learning English), and the on the Aran Islands, where he learnt his sixth living language, Irish. He received his law degree in Leuven in 1913.
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