Frans Schollaert

François (Frans) Victor Marie Ghislain Schollaert (19 August 1851 – 29 June 1917) was a Belgian Catholic Party politician who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1907 to 1911.

Frans Schollaert
Prime Minister of Belgium
In office 31 December 1907 – 17 June 1911
Monarchs	Leopold II Albert I
Preceded by	Jules de Trooz
Succeeded by	Charles de Broqueville
President of the Chamber of Representatives
In office 12 November 1912 – 29 June 1917
Preceded by	Gérard Cooreman
Succeeded by	Prosper Poullet
In office 12 November 1901 – 9 January 1908
Preceded by	Louis Marie Joseph de Sadeleer
Succeeded by	Gérard Cooreman
Personal details
Born	(1851-08-19)19 August 1851 Wilsele, Belgium
Died	29 June 1917(1917-06-29) (aged 65) Sainte-Adresse, France
Political party	Catholic Party

Born in Wilsele, Schollaert trained as a lawyer and practiced in Leuven. He served as head of the Flemish farmer's union, the Boerenbond. He sat in the Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives from 1888 onwards, holding the office of President of the Chamber from 1901 to 1908, and from 1911 until his death.

On Jules de Trooz's sudden death on the last day of 1907, Schollaert replaced him as the prime minister of Belgium, also holding the Interior and Agriculture portfolios from 1908 to 1910, and the Arts and Science portfolio from 1910 to 1911. Schollaert was PM while the Belgian parliament, in heated debates, voted to annex the Congo Free State, which had been privately owned by Belgian King Leopold II. It became known as the Belgian Congo.^[1][2]

Honours

• Belgium: Minister of State by Royal Decree.
• Belgium: Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown
• Belgium: Grand Officier in the Order of Leopold
• France: Grand Cross in the Legion of Honour
• Holy See: Grand Cross in the Order of Pius IX
• Norway: Grand Cross in the Order of Saint Olav
• Romania: Grand Cross in the Order of the Star of Romania

The Schollaert Channel, discovered in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Gerlache, was named for him.