Pierre David

Pierre David (9 January 177130 June 1839) was a Belgian civic official who was mayor of Verviers under French rule from 1800 to 1808; and after Belgian independence, from 1830 until his death. David's family were cloth-makers and he ran a weaving factory. He became involved in local government after serving as an officer in the city's police force. David, a Francophile and Republican, was appointed mayor of the city after the French annexation of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. He resigned in 1808 after disagreeing with one of the Emperor Napoleon's decrees but remained involved in the running of the city. When Verviers was incorporated into the United Netherlands, David secured a seat on the city's Regency Council. During the 1830 Belgian Revolution, David supported independence for Belgium as a republic, but when this proved unachievable, he instead voted for union with France. David was subsequently appointed the first mayor of Verviers within the independent Kingdom of Belgium, holding this position until his death.

David was responsible for establishing the city's first fire brigade and creating a new cemetery to replace its inner-city burial ground. He also supported low-cost housing for workers, and established a secondary school and several charitable organisations. David played a key role in constructing the city's second river crossing and also planted numerous lime trees. After his death, he was memorialised in a fountain in the city centre, in which his heart was entombed. Several busts of David survive in the city and some of its streets are named after him.

Early life Pierre David was born on 9 January 1771 to Pierre David and Catherine-Joseph Jacob David. The David family was involved in cloth manufacture and the junior Pierre David maintained a factory with 26 looms that employed 20 workers. His brother Jean-Nicolas David maintained a factory at Lambermont, west of Verviers, that had 140 looms and 200 workers. David, a Francophile and supporter of the French Revolution, was appointed a municipal officer by the French authorities on 20 April 1799 and became maire (mayor) on 4 July 1800. David established a fire brigade in Verviers in 1802 and in 1808 supported the construction of low-cost housing for workers. After the establishment of the First French Empire decrees from Emperor Napoleon limited the freedom allowed to David as mayor. On 21 September 1808, he resigned the position. Succeeded by Jean-Toussaint Rutten, David remained a key adviser with a significant role in the management of the city. In 1817 David closed the old church cemetery in the city and established a new cemetery on the outskirts. He led a campaign to build a second bridge across the Vesdre, laying the foundation stone on 9 May 1832. The following year David received the royal visit of King Leopold I and his new Queen Louise-Marie. A large number of city residents went to the mortuary to view David's corpse. The Regency Council arranged David's funeral for 2 July at the and requested that local businesses release their workers at 4pm to attend.

After his death, all three of the city's rival newspapers praised David, despite their differing political stances (liberal, conservative and republican). A portrait of David was commissioned from Laurent Olivier to hang in the city hall and is now also in the museum's collection. A bust by B Delbove is located in city hall.

Three days after David's death, with his family's permission, his heart was removed with the intention of entombing it within a suitable memorial structure. It was preserved in a jar of alcohol within a zinc casket. Disagreements over the type of memorial and funding meant that the heart sat in storage at the city hall for four decades. The fountain underwent extensive renovation works in 2020 and on 20 August the heart was rediscovered. A number of streets in Verviers are named in David's honour.