Théophile Wahis
Théophile Wahis | |
|---|---|
 Portrait photo of Wahis, c.1908 | |
| Governor-General of the Belgian Congo | |
| In office 15 November 1908 – 20 May 1912 | |
| Monarchs | Leopold II (1908–09) Albert I (1909–12) |
| Preceded by | None (post created) |
| Succeeded by | Félix Fuchs |
| Governor-General of the Congo Free State | |
| In office 21 December 1900 – 15 November 1908 | |
| Monarch | Leopold II |
| Preceded by | Émile Wangermée (acting) |
| Succeeded by | None (post abolished) |
| In office 26 August 1892 – 4 September 1896 | |
| Preceded by | Camille Janssen |
| Succeeded by | Émile Wangermée (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 April 1844 Menen, Belgium |
| Died | 26 January 1921 (aged 76) Brussels, Belgium |
civil servant who served as Governor-General of the Congo Free State and, subsequently, the Belgian Congo for two terms between 1891 and 1912. He was the longest ruling of Belgian colonial governors.[1]
Career
Théophile Wahis was born in
King Leopold II as a possible candidate for the King's private venture in the Congo Free State.[2]
In 1890-91, Wahis was posted to
Governor General, replacing Camille Janssen.[2] Wahis' military background had a strong influence on governance in the Free State and contributed to its increasingly harsh policies of rule.[2][1] He clashed particularly with more liberal colonial figures, such as Félix Fuchs and Félicien Cattier, whose own backgrounds were as civilian lawyers.[2] According to historians Lewis H. Gann and Peter Duignan, Wahis' appointment "symbolized the increasingly exploitative nature of the Free State's administration" and the growing "Belgianization" of the colony's administration.[1]
Wahis was a strong defender of the Free State's public record in the international press.[2] For his services to the state, he received the honorary rank of Lieutenant General and the title of Baron in 1901.[2] After Belgium was forced by international pressure to annex the Free State in 1908, Wahis continued as Governor-General of the new Belgian Congo.[2] He resigned in 1912 and was succeeded by Fuchs.[2]
Retiring from colonial administration, Baron Wahis became a businessman with a position in a company in the Dutch East Indies and in the Congo's Compagnie du Katanga. He died in January 1921.[2] A street in Brussels and a street in Menen are named after him.[3]
References
- Charlotte, was the sister of the incumbent Belgian monarch Leopold II.
Citations
Bibliography
- Gann, Lewis H.; Duignan, Peter (1979). The Rulers of Belgian Africa, 1884-1914. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691052779.
- Plasman, Pierre-Luc (5 July 2012). "WAHIS, (Théophile)" (in French). Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
Further reading
- Janssens, Édouard; Cateaux, Albert (1908). Les Belges au Congo. Notices biographiques. Antwerp: Van Hille-De Backer. pp. 26–33.
- Archive Théophile Wahis, Royal Museum for Central Africa
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