BRUGMANS, Hendrik

(1906–1997)

   Politician and rector; son of historian Hajo Brugmans (1868–1939). Brugmans studied French literature in Amsterdam and Paris. In 1939, he became a Social Democratic member of Parliament, but only for a short period because of the outbreak of World War II. During the war, the Nazis interned him in the hostage camp Sint-Michielsgestel for a few years, as was done with many other Dutch leaders. After the war, Brugmans became a great stimulator of European integration. From 1950 until his retirement in 1972, he was rector of the European College in Bruges, Belgium. He was also cofounder and first president of the Union of European Federalists. In 1951, Brugmans was awarded the International Charlemagne Prize (Karlspreis) of the city of Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen, Germany). He ended his career as a professor of French literature at the University of Louvain in Belgium.