Stas was born in Liège on 20 August 1791. In 1820 he founded the Courrier de la Meuse, with Pierre Kersten as editor in chief.[1] This newspaper supported the Catholic-Liberal union that dominated the Belgian Revolution, although its publication had been suspended by the Dutch authorities by the time the revolution broke out. Publication was resumed after Belgian independence, with abbé Louis becoming editor in chief in 1836. At the beginning of January 1841, publication was moved to Brussels and the title changed to Journal de Bruxelles.[1] Stas retired as publisher in 1856, and died in Brussels on 13 February 1868.[1] The newspaper he had founded continued publication until 1926.