Guy Cudell
Guy Cudell (12 February 1917 – 16 May 1999) was a Belgian politician of the Belgian Socialist Party and the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS). He was first voted onto the council in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode in the Brussels Capital Region in 1946 and was mayor from 1953 until his death.[1]
Cudell was born in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.[2] Following his election to the council, he was put in charge of education, and was an early adopter of mixed-sex education in 1947, and family planning in 1962. He was also a member of the Chamber of Representatives (1954–1977), the Senate of Belgium and was minister for development in the cabinet of prime minister Edmond Leburton from 1973 to 1974.[1]
On 24 June 1984, Cudell was kidnapped in nearby Ixelles by René Busschot. Busschot kept him captive in Tellin, Luxembourg Province. Cudell was able to break out of his handcuffs and escape the empty house through an open door. An envelope left at the house identified Busschot, who handed himself in on 26 June and was sentenced in 1988 to a suspended sentence of three years. Cudell's account of the events has been doubted by some in Belgium, who allege that he had orchestrated the event.[1][3]
Cudell was the subject of the fly on the wall documentary Le bourgmestre a dit ("The Mayor Said"), filmed in 1996 by Marie-Hélène Massin.[4]
Cudell died of cancer, aged 82.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Guy Cudell, dix ans déjà" [Guy Cudell, ten years already]. La Dernière Heure (in French). 19 April 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Guy Cudell: les dix ans de la mort du maïeur" [Guy Cudell: ten years since the death of the mayor] (in French). Sud Info. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ ""Alerte Kidnapping - Guy Cudell" : l'évasion rocambolesque d'un bourgmestre kidnappé" ["Kidnapping Alert - Guy Cudell": the incredible escape of a kidnapped mayor] (in French). RTBF. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "RTBF «Le bourgmestre a dit»: hommage à Guy Cudell" [RTBF "The Mayor Said": homage to Guy Cudell] (in French). 19 May 1999. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ Robert, François; Breny, René (17 May 1999). "Bruxelles a perdu un de ses géants politiques" [Brussels lost one of its political giants]. Le Soir. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- 1917 births
- 1999 deaths
- People from Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
- People from Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
- Belgian Socialist Party politicians
- Socialist Party (Belgium) politicians
- Mayors of places in Belgium
- Members of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)
- Members of the Senate (Belgium)
- Government ministers of Belgium
- Deaths from cancer in Belgium