Héger was born in Brussels and moved to Paris in 1825 in search of employment. For a period he worked as secretary to a solicitor, but because of a shortage of funds, was unable to pursue a legal career himself. In 1829, he returned to Brussels, where he became a teacher of French and mathematics at the Athénée Royal. In 1830, he married his first wife, Marie-Josephine Noyer. When revolution broke out in Brussels, Héger fought on the barricades from 23 to 27 September on the side of the nationalists. In September 1833, Héger's wife died during a cholera epidemic. His son, Gustave died in June 1834, at nine months old.