Hendrik Cornelis
Belgian colonial civil servant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
18 September 1910
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 18 September 1910 |
| Died | 1999 (aged 88 or 89) |
| Education | 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.[1]
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.[2]
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