Léon Van der Rest was a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 lawyer, businessman and governor of the National Bank of Belgium

National Bank of Belgium

The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850...

 (NBB) from 1918 until 1923.

Career

He started his career as a lawyer at the Brussels Bar, but after a few years took charge of the family business as a ironmonger. Besides being active in the family business, he also served as commissioner for a number of other companies. In 1888 he became a member of the discount committee of the NBB, while being an administrator of the Crédit Anversois. In 1898 he was appointed as a censor of the bank and in 1905 as a director. In 1912, he became vice-governor under Théophile de Lantsheere

Théophile de Lantsheere

Théophile Charles André de Lantsheere was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Born in Asse, De Lantsheere was a student of law, obtaining a doctorate, and practiced as an advocate in Brussels...

. When Théophile de Lantsheere was removed as governor of the bank by the Germans on 22 December 1914 at the start of the occupation of Belgium during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, he became in charge of the NBB.

During the war Léon Van der Rest, was vice-president of the National Aid and Food Provision Committee

BAEF

The Belgian American Educational Foundation or BAEF is an independent philanthropy. It supports the exchange of university students, scientists and scholars between the United States and Belgium. The foundation fosters the higher education of deserving Belgians and Americans through its...

, under Emile Francqui

Emile Francqui

Emile Francqui was a Belgian soldier, diplomat and business man. Being an orphan, he was sent to the military school when he was 15 years old...

. After the war, he became governor of the NBB in 1918. The immediate postwar period knew a rampant inflation and loss of value of the belgian franc

Belgian franc

The franc was the currency of Belgium until 2002 when the euro was introduced into circulation. It was subdivided into centimes , 100 centiem or Centime .-History:...

. In 1923, he did not seek the renewal of this term as governor and became the first honorary governor of the NBB. He was succeeded by Fernand Hautain

Fernand Hautain

Fernand Hautain was a Belgian businessman and governor of the National Bank of Belgium from 1923 until 1926.-Career:He started his career at an early age, and combined working with evening classes and self-tuition...

.

Source

• Léon Van der Rest