# Minister of the Colonies (Belgium)

The Belgian Minister of the Colonies (French: Ministre des Colonies, Dutch: Minister van Koloniën) was a Belgian parliamentarian who was responsible for the territories of the colonial empire in Central Africa from 1908 to 1962, comprising the colony of the Belgian Congo (1908–60) and the international mandate of Ruanda-Urundi (1916–62). The exact title was changed on several occasions.

## Ministerial title

For most of the existence of the post, office holders were known as "Minister of the Colonies" (Ministre des Colonies or Minister van Koloniën). From the accession of Maurits Van Hemelrijck [nl] in November 1958, however, the ministerial title changed to "Minister of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi" (Ministre du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi or Minister van Belgisch-Congo en Ruanda-Urundi). On 30 June 1960, with the independence of the Belgian Congo, the title changed to "Minister of African Affairs" (Ministre des affaires africaines or Minister van afrikaanse zaken) whose only office holders were August de Schryver and Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden.
In addition to official colonial ministers, two individuals served as ministers without portfolio with a colonial brief between 1959 and 1960. Raymond Scheyven was "Minister without portfolio, charged with the economic and financial affairs of the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi" while Walter Ganshof van der Meersch was "Minister without portfolio, charged with general affairs in Africa".

## List of ministers

The following is a list of ministers, cited by historian Guy Vanthemsche in his book Belgium and the Congo, 1885-1980:

### Political parties
   ### Christian Democrat

Catholic Party, later:  Christian Social Party

   ### Liberal

Liberal Party

   ### Socialist

Belgian Socialist Party
| Portrait | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | Monarch (Reign) |
| Portrait | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Prime Minister | Monarch (Reign) |
| | | Jules Renkin | 30 October 1908 | 21 November 1918 | 10 years, 22 days | Catholic Party | Frans Schollaert Charles de Broqueville Gérard Cooreman | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Louis Franck | 21 November 1918 | 11 March 1924 | 5 years, 111 days | Liberal Party | Léon Delacroix Henri Carton de Wiart Georges Theunis | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Henri Carton de Tournai | 11 March 1924 | 20 May 1926 | 2 years, 70 days | Catholic Party | Georges Theunis Aloys Van de Vyvere Prosper Poullet | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Maurice Houtart (First term) | 20 May 1926 | 15 November 1926 | 179 days | Catholic Party | Henri Jaspar | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Édouard Pecher | 16 November 1926 | 27 December 1926 | 41 days | Liberal Party | Henri Jaspar | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Maurice Houtart (Second term) | 29 December 1926 | 18 January 1927 | 20 days | Catholic Party | Henri Jaspar | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Henri Jaspar (First term) | 18 January 1927 | 19 October 1929 | 2 years, 274 days | Catholic Party | Own government | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Paul Tschoffen [nl] (First term) | 19 October 1929 | 24 December 1929 | 66 days | Catholic Party | Henri Jaspar | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Henri Jaspar (Second term) | 27 February 1930 | 18 June 1931 | 1 year, 111 days | Catholic Party | Own government | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Paul Charles [nl] | 18 May 1931 | 16 August 1931 | 90 days | Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic) | Henri Jaspar Jules Renkin | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Paul Crokaert [nl] | 6 June 1931 | 25 May 1932 | 354 days | Catholic Party | Jules Renkin | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Paul Tschoffen (Second term) | 23 May 1932 | 13 November 1934 | 2 years, 174 days | Catholic Party | Jules Renkin Charles de Broqueville | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Paul Charles (Second term) | 20 November 1934 | 25 March 1935 | 125 days | Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic) | Georges Theunis | Albert I (1909–34) |
| | | Edmond Rubbens [nl] | 25 March 1935 | 27 April 1938 | 3 years, 33 days | Catholic Party | Paul van Zeeland Paul-Émile Janson | Leopold III (1934–44) |
| | | Albert De Vleeschauwer (First term) | 15 May 1938 | 22 February 1939 | 283 days | Catholic Party | Paul-Henri Spaak | Leopold III (1934–44) |
| | | Gaston Heenen [nl] | 21 February 1939 | 16 April 1939 | 54 days | Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic) | Hubert Pierlot | Leopold III (1934–44) |
| | | Albert De Vleeschauwer (Second term) | 16 April 1939 | 31 January 1945 | 5 years, 290 days | Catholic Party | Hubert Pierlot | Leopold III (1934–44) |
| | | Edgard De Bruyne [fr] | 12 February 1945 | 16 June 1945 | 124 days | Catholic Party | Achille Van Acker | Prince Charles Regent (1944–50) |
| | | Robert Godding [nl] (First term) | 2 August 1945 | 18 February 1946 | 200 days | Liberal Party | Achille Van Acker | Prince Charles Regent (1944–50) |
| | | Lode Craeybeckx | 13 March 1946 | 20 March 1946 | 7 days | Belgian Socialist Party | Paul-Henri Spaak | Prince Charles Regent (1944–50) |
| | | Robert Godding (Second term) | 31 March 1946 | 11 March 1947 | 345 days | Liberal Party | Achille Van Acker Camille Huysmans | Prince Charles Regent (1944–50) |
| | | Pierre Wigny | 20 March 1947 | 12 August 1950 | 3 years, 145 days | Christian Social Party | Paul-Henri Spaak Gaston Eyskens Jean Duvieusart | Prince Charles Regent (1944–50) |
| | | André Dequae [nl] | 15 August 1950 | 12 April 1954 | 3 years, 240 days | Christian Social Party | Gaston Eyskens Jean Duvieusart Joseph Pholien Jean Van Houtte | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Auguste Buisseret [fr] | 23 April 1954 | 2 June 1958 | 4 years, 40 days | Liberal Party | Achille Van Acker Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Léo Pétillon | 5 July 1958 | 6 November 1958 | 124 days | Extra-Parliamentary (Catholic) | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Maurice Van Hemelrijck [fr] | 6 November 1958 | 2 September 1959 | 300 days | Christian Social Party | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | August De Schryver | 3 September 1959 | 2 September 1960 | 365 days | Christian Social Party | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Raymond Scheyven | 17 November 1959 | 2 September 1960 | 290 days | Christian Social Party | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Walter Ganshof van der Meersch | 16 May 1960 | 20 July 1960 | 65 days | Extra-Parliamentary | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |
| | | Harold Charles d'Aspremont Lynden | 2 September 1960 | 27 March 1961 | 206 days | Christian Social Party | Gaston Eyskens | Baudouin (1950–93) |