Jean (1902) Rey

Jean Rey (15 July 1902 – 19 May 1983) was a Belgian lawyer and Liberal politician who became the second President of the European Commission. The 1983–1984 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.

Born in Liège in a Protestant family, he studied law at the University of Liège, where he obtained a PhD in 1926. He began his career as a barrister at the Court of Appeal in Liège. His commitment to the Walloon Movement drew him into politics. He joined the Liberal party and was elected city councillor of Liège in 1935. In 1939, he won a seat in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.

In the wake of World War II, he was one of the most vocal opponents of the policy of "independence" (in fact, neutrality) of the Belgian government and Léopold III. Mobilized as reserve officer in 1940, he was captured by the Germans and spent the rest of the war in the Nazi concentration camp Oflag XD (Offizier-Lager; E:officer camp) near Fischbeck, where he was member of the clandestine Masonic Lodge L'Obstinée

Career after World War II :