Basile-Jean Risopoulos

Basile-Jean Risopoulos, (27 October 1919 – 5 May 1997) was a Belgian lawyer and politician who served in the Belgian senate from 1968 to 1974.

Early life

Basile-Jean Risopoulos was born on 27 October 1919 in Schaerbeek to a modest family. His father was Greek and his mother was Belgian. His brother, Stéphane, became an Agricultural engineer after his studies at Gembloux. In 1954, Risopolous married Francine Willems, a Belgian lawyer. They had two children; Sylvie, who became Administrative Director at the French Community Commission, and André, a criminal lawyer. In 1945, he participated in the Baltic Offensive, and the liberation of several Nazi concentration camps.

From 1968 to 1974, Risopoulos served in the Senate as a member from the Province of Brabant. From 1974 to 1976 he was the President of the Liberal Party's Brussels division and a participant in the Senate debates on Belgian federalism until 1977. He was later elected to the Chamber of Representatives, where he served from 1977 to 1985.

From 1986 to 1989, he served as president of the first Brussels Regional Council as well as the Vice President to the Prime Minister of the French Community Commission and an échevin for the City of Brussels.

Other roles

During his career, Risopoulos was a patron of performance art, following the work of the Mudra Ballet school, and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He was also an active card player, playing with the Maison de la Belote. In 1983, he founded a branch of the Richelieu Club in Brussels. The club serves to defend French culture and language. President of the Maison de la Francité as well as a member of the AFAL (Francophone Association of Friendship and Liaison).