Hyacinthe Hubert Félix Marie Arthur René Beltjens was born in Liège on 22 may 1879. He is the son of Marie-Thérèse Malherbe and Arthur Beltjens. He comes from a family belonging to the legal sector. His grandfather, Hubert Beltjens (1808-1874), was Attorney General at the Court of Appeal of Liège ; his uncle, Gustave Beltjens (1835-1909), was an advisor to the same Court while his father, Arthur Beltjens (1847-1911), was first general advocate.
René Beltjens is studying law at the University of Liège, which he ends in 1901. He was then registered with the Liège bar for several years., as Albert Capitaine’s intern. He married in Brussels on 4 june 1903 with Gabrielle Sohier, from Monceau-sur-Sambre.
From the 2 april 1906, he becomes a substitute judge at the Court of First Instance of Liège. The 3 janvier 1907, he is appointed deputy of the King's prosecutor in Liège.
During the First World War, he remains in his position as deputy of the King's prosecutor in Liège. Shortly after the war, the 10 may 1919, he is appointed to the post of King's Prosecutor in Huy. He then conducted extensive information against war traffickers, a task that he had already begun as a substitute prosecutor in Liège during the War. According to his personal file created by Public Security, he was appointed substitute for the military auditor in the field of 13 may 1919 to 29 july 1919.
From the 18 may 1920, he became deputy attorney general near the Liège Court of Appeal, position he held for nine years, until May 1929, date on which he is authorized to hold the title of Advocate General. The same month, he is called by the Minister of Justice, Paul-Emile Janson, of the liberal party, to the position of administrator of Public Security; position he officially holds from 22 may 1929, thus succeeding Alfred Remy. This transition was seamless, and René Beltjens was well received by the administration. The latter then inherits a rapidly changing Public Security, following the so-called “Utrecht Forgery” affair, affair which marked the end of Military Security, until its reconstitution in 1937. It is up to him to reorganize public security.. This reorganization was focused in particular around its staff, who was missing, while the cases to be handled were more and more numerous and the number of foreigners coming to settle in Belgium continued to increase.
Despite his new assignment, René Beltjens remains very attached to the legal community of Liège, so much so that he frequently returned to his hometown, in order to rub shoulders with his former colleagues, which made him a very appreciated person.
At the start of his career as an administrator, he obtains the title of honorary advocate general. Afterwards, the 7 august 1930, he is admitted to the hereditary nobility, with the title of baron. He claims to be liberal.
Administrator René Beltjens died suddenly on 31 may 1933, at fifty-four, following a heart condition. Robert DeFoy succeeds him as head of Public Security.
Sources:
- « Beltjens », in Oscar Coomans De Brachene, Present state of the Belgian nobility, directory of 2003, Brussels, 2003, p. 220.
- « René Beltjens, public security administrator is dead », The Meuse, August 1 1933.
- "Mort du baron Beltjens", Le Soir, 1is june 1916
- « State of service by M. Belt service (baron) », Archives générales du Royaume, Ministry of Justice background, police des étrangers, n°23.
Hugo Giudice
Notice written as part of the Seminar on the History of the Contemporary Period of the Catholic University of Louvain (LHIST2280, teacher Emmanuel Debruyne).
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