Hendrik Cornelis

Hendrik "Rik" Cornelis (September 18, 1910–1999) was a Belgian colonial civil servant who served as the final Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 1958 to 1960. His term ended with the independence of the Republic of the Congo.

Hendrik Cornelis
Governor-General Cornelis shortly before leaving the Congo
Governor-General of the Belgian Congo
In office 12 July 1958 – 30 June 1960
Monarch	Baudouin
Preceded by	Léo Pétillon
Succeeded by	None (post abolished)
Personal details
Born	Henri Arthur Adolf Marie Christopher Cornelis (1910-09-18)18 September 1910 Bevere, East Flanders, Belgium
Died	1999 (aged 88 or 89) Chaumont-Gistoux, Wallonia, Belgium
Alma mater	University of Ghent

Cornelis was born in Bevere, near Oudenaarde, in the Belgian province of East Flanders on 18 September 1910. He gained a doctorate in economic science from the University of Ghent, also spending a year at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He joined the Belgian colonial administration in Ruanda-Urundi in 1934 and later served in various roles in the Congo. He was promoted to vice-governor-general of the Belgian Congo in 1953. He became the governor-general on 12 July 1958, being the first Dutch-speaking appointee to the role.

After the independence of the Belgian Congo in 1960, Cornelis served as an advisor to Justin Bomboko during his presidency of the College of Commissioners established by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.

References

Sources

• Verthé, Arthur. "Cornelis, Rik (eigenlijk Hendrik)". Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging (NEVB) Online (in Dutch). Lannoo. Retrieved 7 September 2019.

Further reading

• Brassinne de La Buissière, Jacques; Dumont, Georges-Henri (2010). "Les autorités belges et la décolonisation du Congo". Courrier hebdomadaire du CRISP. 18 (2063–2064).

External links

• Cornelis, Rik in NEVB Online
• Gouverneurs du Congo
• Congo (Kinshasa)
• Archive Henri Cornelis, Royal museum for central Africa