Louis Camu
| Louis Camu link (Banker) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 11 April 1905 Alost |
| Died | 12 November 1976 Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Alma mater | University of Liège, University of Ghent |
Belgian atlanticist banker and multi-Bilderberger. Proponent of European unification and creating a single European currency. | |
Louis Camu was a Belgian banker and Bilderberger. From 1952 to 1975 he was president of the Bank of Brussels, professor at the University of Liège and president of the Belgian Association of Banks.[1][2] Described as an atlanticist, he held the liberal view of European unification, and defended the project of creating a single European currency.
Education
Louis Camu was born on April 11, 1905 in Aalst. He is the son of a businessman in the brewery sector.
He first studied at the Institute of Fermentation in Ghent. But at the age of 19, he was called up to perform his military service. At the end of his studies, he obtained a doctorate in commercial sciences at the University of Liège and a bachelor's degree in financial sciences at the University of Ghent. In 1927, he then became a lecturer at these two universities.
Career
In 1934, his political career began in the cabinet of Maurice Lippens, Minister of Public Education. In 1936 he was appointed by Paul van Zeeland to Royal Commissioner for administrative reform, he worked on a reform of the organization of ministries, creating a corps of Financial Inspectors which is finally set up in 1938.
In August 1940, during the Second World War, and following the Belgian capitulation, he supported the royalist Catholic movement.
In 1941, he joined the Bank of Brussels. At the same time, he continued his studies with a view to obtaining a doctorate in economic sciences at the University of Liège. He then played an important role in coalescing the resistance in East Flanders. He was arrested by the Gestapo in July 1944. He stayed in the Neuengamme concentration camp and survived the torture during his arrest, and other camps. In May 1945 he returned home. After this he moved to Switzerland, where he stayed for at least three years with the reason to restore his health. After this period, he resumed his professional life.[2]
An internationally known banking figure, he was chairman of the Banque de Bruxelles, Belgium's second largest commercial hank, for 23 years until its merger with the Banque Lambert. With the merger, he became honorary chairman of Banque de Bruxelles‐Lambert. He was chairman of the Belgian Bank Association and president of the banking federation of the European Common Market.
Louis Camu married Denise Fontaine (1907-2005). They had a son together, Alain Camu (1934).