ROGIER, rei-zhe-ft, Charles Latour, Bel gian statesman: b. Saint Quentin, 17 Aug. 1800; d.. Brussels, 27 May 1885. He was edu cated at the University of Liege and M the outbreak of the. Belgian revolution in Septem ber 1830 hecame a revolutionary leader in B'rus selsL On 24 September he was made president of the . administrative commission and later went as 3 :delegate of. the erovisicinal govern ment to Antwerp. After an armistice had been arranged with Holland, he exercised absolute power in the reorganization of the administra tion of the city. He represented Liege in the National Congress, voted to establish a heredi tary monarchy, and proposed the adoption of the elective second chamber. He became gov ernor of the province of Antwerp in 1831 and the next year Minister of the Interior. He re tired in 1834 after having carried a law pro viding for the establishment in Belgium of the first railway in Europe. From 1834 to 1840 he
was again governor of Antwerp; and leader of the Liberal party in opposition 1841-47. He became Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior in 1847 and by his energy and fore sight Belgium escaped the revolutionary crisis that involved Europe in 1848. In 1850 he or ganized secondary education under control of the state; but retired from office in 1852. Again becoming Prime Minister in 1857 one of the first acts of his ministry was the fortification of Antwerp. In 1861 he became Minister of For eign Affairs and succeeded in freeing the navi gation of the Scheldt, which fact contributed to make Antwerp one of the important ports of Europe. He retired from ministerial office in 1868, though he sat for Tournai until his death.