Paul Vanden Boeynants facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Vanden Boeynants
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Paul Vanden Boeynants in 1966
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| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 20 October 1978 – 3 March 1979 |
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| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Leo Tindemans |
| Succeeded by | Wilfried Martens |
| In office 19 March 1966 – 17 June 1968 |
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| Monarch | Baudouin |
| Preceded by | Pierre Harmel |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Eyskens |
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 1972–1979 |
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| Prime Minister | Gaston Eyskens Edmond Leburton Leo Tindemans |
| Preceded by | Paul Willem Segers |
| Succeeded by | José Desmarets |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 May 1919 Forest, Belgium |
| Died | 9 January 2001 (aged 81) Aalst, Belgium |
| Political party | Christian Social Party Humanist Democratic Centre |
Paul Vanden Boeynants (born May 22, 1919 – died January 9, 2001) was an important Belgian politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Belgium two times. His first time was from 1966 to 1968, and his second time was from 1978 to 1979.
Contents
Political Journey
Paul Vanden Boeynants was born in Forest, a town that is now part of the Brussels-Capital Region. People often called him "VDB" for short. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a businessman in the meat industry.
Early Roles
Vanden Boeynants became a Representative for the PSC-CVP in 1949. He held this position until 1979. From 1961 to 1966, he was the leader of the PSC-CVP party. This party was a Christian democrat group at the time.
Serving as Minister
From 1958 to 1961, Vanden Boeynants served as the Minister for the Middle Class. This role involved helping small and medium-sized businesses. Later, from 1972 to 1979, he was the Minister of Defense. In this job, he was in charge of Belgium's military and national security.
Prime Minister of Belgium
Vanden Boeynants first became Prime Minister in 1966 and served for two years. He led another Belgian government from 1978 to 1979. After his time as Prime Minister, he became the chairman of the PSC party from 1979 to 1981. He left politics completely in 1995. Paul Vanden Boeynants passed away in 2001 after having heart surgery.
He was known for a famous saying, which was a mix of Dutch and French: Trop is te veel en te veel is trop. This means "too much is too much and too much is too much."
Kidnapping Incident
In 1989, Paul Vanden Boeynants was kidnapped on January 14. This event was a big surprise to many people. He was held for about a month. Luckily, he was released safely on February 13. The people responsible for the kidnapping were later caught.
Awards and Recognition
Paul Vanden Boeynants received many important awards for his service to Belgium and other countries. These honors show how much he contributed during his career.
Belgium: He was named Minister of State, which is a special title given by the King.
He received the Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold. This is a very high honor in Belgium.
He was also a Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Leopold II.
From the United Kingdom, he received the Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saints Michael and George.
From France, he was made a Grand Officer in the Legion of Honour.
See also
In Spanish: Paul vanden Boeynants para niños
