Frédéric Basse

Frédéric Basse (25 February 1785 – 30 June 1848) was a Belgian politician and industrialist.

Biography Frédéric Chrétien Basse was born in Brussels, Brabant, Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium) on 25 February 1785.

Following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Frédéric Basse's family, originally from France, emigrated to Westphalia. His father later settled in Brussels after Joseph II introduced civil tolerance in his States of the Netherlands. Frédéric's father founded a cotton printing factory, which Frédéric eventually developed into one of the country's leading establishments. He was one of the first to print on copper plates. It is known that roller printing only came after. At the 1820 Ghent exhibition, Frédéric Basse was recommended for the gold medal in the dyeing and printing category. His factory's printed cotton, described as exceptionally fine and vibrant, earned high praise from the commission. Basse's mastery of manufacturing techniques and the quality of his products placed his factory ahead of the English competition.

Basse became a member of the Provincial States and a provincial councillor of the Province of Brabant in 1822. By 1825, he was called to join the board of directors of the General Society to Promote National Industry , established to oversee and promote national industry. Awarded the cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion by King William I, he gained recognition for his contributions to cotton printing, particularly at the 1830 Exposition des produits de l'industrie belge, an industrial exhibition held in Brussels. The prominent manufacturer, served as Vice President of the Higher Commission of Industry, which had the authority to request information from public administrations, industry committees, and chambers of commerce through the Minister of the Interior. The commission was led by President Jacques Engler, a banker and senator from Brussels, and Frédéric Corbisier, a merchant from Mons, who acted as Secretary.

Frédéric Basse became the director of a savings bank in Antwerp which opened on 1 January 1832. He worked alongside Count Ferdinand de Meeûs, Governor and regency councillor, and several other directors. Basse was also part of a commission to revise the laws relating to assessing and collecting state taxes.

The provincial councilor was elected as a member of the Chamber of Representatives but later resigned in March 1834. Later in November 1834, Basse was among the founders of the Free University of Brussels.

He was involved in the steering committee for the 1835 Belgian Industrial Exhibition which was headed by then Mayor of Brussels Nicolas-Jean Rouppe. During its first session on 21 September, the committee elected Goswin de Stassart as president, Basse as vice president, and Louis Prosper Gachard as General Rapporteur by unanimous decision. The exhibition halls for national industrial products opened in Brussels on 16 September 1835. Basse closed his factory in 1835, unable to recover from the aftermath of the revolutionary days. The Flénu region's industrial history, notably in coal mining, relied heavily on railways to move goods and resources throughout the industrial period. King Leopold I had named him a knight of the Order of Leopold on 23 October 1836. He acted as the co-director of many of the public limited companies founded by the society. The negotiations held resulted in the Charleroi basin gaining a direct transportation route to Paris through the canalization effort. This result was important for France and Belgium in strengthening economic ties. The government of King Louis Philippe, wishing to recognize the part that Basse had taken in it, awarded him the cross of the Legion of Honour on 24 December 1841. By 1839, the director of the Société générale was the co-proprietor of the Monceau-Fontaine coal mine in Charleroi. His work on the Sambre-Oise Canal was significant for coal transport in Belgium during the Industrial Revolution. The Belgian Revolution negatively influenced the economy, and since that time, Basse borrowed extensively from the Société générale and other lenders, causing his debts to grow significantly.

In March 1841, he was involved with the steering committee of the third Exposition des produits de l'industrie belge. The exhibition's committee was composed of François-Jean Wyns de Raucour, Charles de Brouckére. Auguste-Donat De Hemptinne, Garchard, and more. Basse was eventually appointed as the president of the jury, Mr. Orban as vice president, and Charles de Brouckère as secretary general of the jury. Basse became president of the Belgian Industry Committee on 6 October 1842.

Frédéric Basse, serving as vice president, participated in the Belgian Free Trade Association's first general meeting on 11 October 1846, in Brussels at the Philharmonic Society hall. The provisional committee, with Basse alongside President Charles de Brouckère and Count Arrivabene as the other vice president, also included secretaries Charles Van Lede, Lehardy de Beaulieu, Delhasse, Léon Cans, Fortamps, Corr Vandermaeren, d'Hauregard, Jalheau, and Victor Faider.

Death Frédéric Basse died in the City of Brussels, Belgium on 30 June 1848.

Honors A street in the City of Brussels, Rue Frédéric Basse, was named after him on 17 October 1840.