Pol Clovis Boël

Pol-Clovis, Baron Boël (2 August 1868 – 13 July 1941) was a Belgian industrialist, Director of the Usines Gustave Boël in La Louvière, and liberal politician.

Born in Saint-Vaast, he was a son of Gustave Boël. He married Marthe de Kerchove de Denterghem. Their eldest daughter Marie-Anne Boël, married Charles-Emmanuel Janssen, while their younger daughter Eva Boël (1883–1956), married Felix Goblet d'Alviella. Their son, René Boël (1899–1990), married Yvonne Solvay (1896–1930).

Career

When Gustave Boël died in 1912, his son Pol-Clovis carried on the diversification of the family business. One of his most prominent successes in this area was in chemicals with the Société anonyme de fabrication des engrais azoté (Safea) (nitrate fertilizers). Pol-Clovis also invested in UCB, founded by Emmanuel Janssen, and in Solvay, founded by Ernest Solvay.

In 1928, Pol-Clovis Boël founded a financial entity: l'Union financière Boël, ancestor of several financial holdings, such as Sofina, Henex, Moustier. After World War I, \Boël entered the world of Belgian finance, taking part in the creation of the Bank of Brussels and the Société Générale de Belgique. In 1929, he was granted the title of baron by King Albert I of Belgium.

Pol Clovis died in Brussels in 1941.

Sources

• Dutrieue, Anne-Myriam, in : Kurgan-van Hentenrijk, Ginette, Jaumain, Serge, Montens, Valérie, ea, Dictionnaire des patrons en Belgique. Les hommes, les entreprises, les reseaux, Bruxelles, De Boeck and Larcier, 1996, p. 61-62.
• Douxchamps, José, Présence nobiliaire au parlement belge (1830–1970). Notes généalogiques, Wépion-Namen, José Douxchamps, 2003, p. 13.