Viscount du Bus de Gisignies
Portrait by François-Joseph Navez
Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
In office
1826–1830
Preceded byGodert van der Capellen
Succeeded byJohannes van den Bosch
Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office
1818–1819
Preceded byJan Pieter van Wickenwoort Crommelin
Succeeded byArnold Hendrik van Markel Bouwer
Personal details
Born
Leonard Pierre Joseph Dubus

(1780-02-28)28 February 1780
Mouscron, Province of Hainaut, Belgium
Died31 May 1849(1849-05-31) (aged 69)
Oostmalle, Province of Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium
Spouses
Marie-Catherine de Deurwaerder
​
​
(m. 1802; died 1836)​
    Marie-Antoinette van der Gracht de Fretin
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1839)​
    Children
    • Clémentine-Cathérine-François (daughter)
    • Gustave-Bernard-Joseph du Bus de Gisignies (son)
    • Bernard-Aimé-Léonard du Bus de Gisignies (son)
    • Albéric du Bus de Gisignies (son)
    • Constantin-Léonard-Anne-Francois-Marie-Joseph du Bus de Gisignies (son)
    Parents
    • Pierre Ignace du Bus (father)
    • Marie Debrandrengluin (mother)
    Military service
    Branch/serviceFrench Royal Army
    Years of service1802–1815

    Leonard Pierre Joseph, Viscount du Bus de Gisignies (28 February 1780 – 31 May 1849) was a soldier and politician in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

    Early life

    He was born in Dottignies, Austrian Netherlands on 28 February 1780. He was born as Leonard Pierre Joseph Dubus, but on 14 June 1822, de Gisignies was added to his name.

    He probably started to study law at Douai, but did not finish his education, because universities closed for some time during the French Revolution.

    Career

    He served in the French Royal Army from 1802 until 1815. On 21 September 1815, in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, he became a member of the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands for the province of West Flanders and on 20 September 1816, he was raised to Dutch nobility and was knighted on 24 November 1816, he later became its President during the meeting year from 1818 to 1819.

    On 22 May 1819 he became a Viscount. He was made a commander on 20 July 1823 in the order of the Dutch Lion, and would later receive on 6 July 1830 the cross in the same order.

    Afterwards he had several administrative functions, first of all as Governor of the province of Antwerp on 3 April 1820 - March 1823, and from 25 March 1823 up to 9 May 1828 of the province of South Brabant (Dutch: Zuid-Brabant).

    From 4 February 1826 up to 16 January 1830 he was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (Dutch: Commissaris-Generaal) of the Dutch East Indies, for which he received an annual wages of 200,000 Guilders, with the condition that he also retained his function of governor of South Brabant. On 9 May 1828 he was appointed as Minister of State, but after the Belgian Revolution he was removed from this office on 18 October 1830. On 6 October 1830, he bought Renesse Castle in Oostmalle from Count Clement-Wenceslas de Renesse-Breidbach and renovated the castle in Empire style.

    Personal life

    On 20 July 1802, he married his first wife, Marie-Catherine de Deurwaerder, who died on 23 June 1836. He had 1 daughter and 5 sons from his first marriage:

    He married his second wife Marie-Antoinette van der Gracht de Fretin on 20 November 1839.

    Death

    He died in Oostmalle, Belgium on 31 May 1849.

    Sources

    • Bart De Prins, Léonard Du Bus de Gisignies (1780–1849), Belgian Commissioner-general in the Dutch East Indies: A Reassessment, Itnerario, 2000.
    • Bart de Prins, Voor Keizer en Koning, Leonard du Bus de Gisignies 1780 - 1849, Commissaris-Generaal van Nederlands-Indië, ISBN 90-5018-577-0
    • L.P.J. burggraaf du Bus de Gisignies (in Dutch)
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