Marcel-Henri Jaspar

Marcel-Henri Jaspar (Schaerbeek, 23 June 1901 – Ixelles, 14 May 1982), was a Belgian lawyer, politician, and later diplomat. He is best known for his unsuccessful attempt with Camille Huysmans and others to establish an unrecognised Belgian government in London in 1940 during World War II.

Born into an eminent Belgian family, Jaspar spent much of his youth overseas in Egypt and France. On his return to Belgium to study and practise law, he soon became involved in Liberal politics. Joining the Liberal Party, he rose rapidly through the party's youth wing and entered the Chamber of Representatives in 1929 as a deputy for Brussels. He held ministerial appointments in the coalition governments of Paul Van Zeeland and Hubert Pierlot, latterly during the German invasion of Belgium in May 1940. A convinced anti-Nazi, Jaspar's insistence that the Belgian government should continue the war from exile in the United Kingdom led him to abandon the Pierlot government when it appeared that it would seek an armistice with the Germans. Jaspar's attempt to form his own exile government in London, together with Camille Huysmans, ultimately resulted in failure but contributed to the Pierlot government's decision to establish itself in exile.

Jaspar's break with the government made a return to political life impossible. Instead, he was appointed as a diplomatic representative of the Belgian government in exile to its Czechoslovak counterpart. He continued in the diplomatic service after the war, his career culminating in the prestigious posting of Ambassador in France. Throughout his career he wrote prolifically on political and historical topics, also writing a memoir. He died in Brussels in 1982. Provided by Wikipedia