FRERE-ORBAN, HUBERT JOSEPH WALTHER (1812-1896), Belgian statesman, was born at Liege on April 24, 1812. After studying law in Paris, he practised as a barrister at Liege, took a prominent part in the Liberal movement, and in June 1847 was returned to the Chamber as member for Liege. He was minister of public works in the Rogier cabinet, and from 1848 to 1852 was minister of finance. He founded the Banque Nationale and the Caisse d'Epargne, abolished the newspaper tax, reduced the postage, and modified the customs duties as a prelimi nary to a decided free-trade policy. To facilitate the negotiations for a new commercial treaty, he conceded to France a law of copyright, which proved highly unpopular in Belgium, and he re signed office, soon followed by the rest of the cabinet. His work La Mainmorte et la charite (1854-1857), published under the pseudonym of "Jean van Damme," helped his party back to power in 1857, when he again became minister of finance. He now embodied his free-trade principles in commercial treaties with England and France, and abolished the octroi duties and the tolls on the national roads. He resigned in 1861 on the gold question, but soon resumed office, and in 1868 succeeded Rogier as prime minister. In 1869 he defeated the attempt of France to gain control of the Luxemburg railways. Defeated in 1870, he returned to office in 5878 as president of the council and foreign minister. He provoked the bitter opposition of the Clerical party by his law of 1879 establishing secular primary education, and in 188o broke off diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Frere-Orban, while re jecting the Radical proposal of universal suffrage, conceded an extension of the franchise (1883) ; but the hostility of the Radicals, and the discontent caused by a financial crisis, overthrew the government at the elections of 1884. Frere-Orban continued to lead the Liberal opposition till 1894, when he failed to secure re-election. He died at Brussels on Jan. 2, 1896.
See F. Hymans, (2 vols.