Hymans, Paul (1865-1941)

Belgian statesman and diplomat. He entered parliament as a Liberal in 1900. In 1914, after the German invasion of Belgium, he travelled to the USA on a mission to President Woodrow Wilson. He was Belgian minister in London, England (1915-17), minister of economic affairs (1917), and minister of foreign affairs (1918-20, 1924-25, 1927-34, and 1934-35). Hymans attended the conference at Versailles in 1918, and represented Belgium at the Peace Conference in 1919 (see the Treaty of Versailles). Hymans was born in Ixelles, Belgium, and was educated at Brussels University.