Jacques Coghen

Count Jacques Andres Coghen (31 October 1791 – 15 May 1858) was the second Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of Belgium (1831-1832), and a direct ancestor of the current King, Philippe of Belgium.

A founding father of Belgium, Coghen was a merchant, financier, and politician of the Liberal Party. He was elevated to the rank of count in 1837.

Ancestry Before the family Coghen moved to Brussels, they were living from the early 14th century in the city of Diest as merchants and financial stewards. Some of them held official positions in that city such as mayor. During the Protestant Rebellion of the mid-16th century they supported the cause of William of Orange, the leader of that rebellion in the Low Countries, because the city of Diest was one of the four cities of the family of William of Orange (the other three being Breda, Duisburg and Orange).

Coghen was the son of Joseph Coghen (1749-1820), an apothecary, and his wife, Isabelle Stielemans, who was a native of Brussels.

His paternal grandfather, Jan Baptist Coghen (1717-1773) was born, was married, and died in Brussels.

His paternal grandmother, Catharina Theresia Huwaerts (1710-1749), was also born and died in Brussels, and her parents, Marie Therese van Cutsem (1668-1726/1727) and Joose Huwaerts (d. 1742), as well as their parents, were also from old Dutch families in the Brussels area (including such families as Ghysels, Walravens, de Broijer, Haeck, de Proost, and de Leenheer).

His mother was descended from several ancient Belgian families, from Brussels and Diest, whose ancestors in the sixteenth century appear to have been butchers and merchants, and who in the early seventeenth century included magistrates of the old county of Campine (Kempen in Dutch).

Early life and business Coghen was born on 31 October 1791.

He was married, on 17 May 1821, to Caroline Rittweger. The Rittweger family was from Altenkunstadt in Bavaria but moved to Brussels at the end of the 18th century when they were officials in the Postal Office of the Austrian Empire. François Rittweger, the father of Caroline, was a Brussels politician, director of several financial companies and financial advisor to the Belgian King Leopold I. He was freemason in the lodge "Les Amis Philanthropes". Jacques Coghen was also a freemason in the lodge "L'Espérance" in Brussels where he met other freemasons who would become leaders of the Belgian Revolution, namely Jean Barbanson (1797-1883), Eugène Defacqz (1797-1871), en Alexandre Gendebien (1789-1869).

The Coghen's had five children - Isabelle (1822-1891), Barbara (1823-1883), Henriette (1825-1880), Joseph-Frantz (1827-1888) and Marie (1832-1870).

Before the Belgian Revolution broke out, Coghen was a respected merchant and banker in Brussels; he was Chairman of the Commercial Court and a member of the Advisory Chamber of Commerce. "the oldest and most important insurance company in Belgium", until it failed during the 2008 financial crisis.

He helped to start a glass factory cooperative company, Verreries de Mariemont, in 1829. Also in 1829, he bought Wolvendael, a 1763 castle near Uccle, from duke Charles-Louis-Auguste de Looz-Corswarem.

Public life Dutch Troops had scarcely retreated from the capital of Belgium, when the Provisional Government, on 28 September 1830, named Coghen deputy head of the new Federal Finance commission, until the first meeting of the Congress national. For a short time in the fall of 1830, the new finance commission only had two employees, Coghen and an assistant attorney.

He later reorganized some utilities.

He was also a member of the Board of the Central School of Commerce and Industry.

He had purchased a castle, Wolvendael in Uccle, and land in the Sonian Forest. He made some improvements to the castle, adding three bays.

In 1851, Coghen returned to public life, this time the Senate; it has not been unusual for aristocrats to be elected directly to that position. Commander; 1 June 1845.

Death and legacy

Jacques Coghen died in Lembeek, on 16 May 1858.

The local history society of Uccle has a collection of papers by and about Coghen.

His daughter, Isabelle Coghen (1822-1891), married Theodore Mosselman du Chenoy. Their daughter Laura Mosselman du Chenoy married Fulco Tristano Beniamino Ruffo di Calabria (1848-1901). Their son Fulco Ruffo di Calabria was the father of Queen Paola. Through them, Coghen is a great-great-great grandfather of the current King of the Belgians, Phillipe.