Jean-Jacques Willmar

Who was Jean-Jacques Willmar?

Jean-Jacques Madeleine Willmar was a Luxembourgian politician and jurist. An Orangist, he was the second Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for five years, from December 6, 1848 until September 23, 1853.

Born in 1792 in the city of Luxembourg, he was the son of Jean-Georges Willmar, who was governor of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 1817 to 1830.

In 1814 he received his Licence in Law in Paris, and became a lawyer at the bar of Luxembourg city. He was appointed a judge in 1824.

From 1830 to 1839, after the Belgian Revolution, he supported the Dutch King William I, during a period when a large part of Luxembourg wanted to join the new Belgian state.

In 1840 he was appointed Procureur général. From 1841 to 1848 he was a member of the Assembly of Estates, and in 1848 was the Luxembourgish representative at the Frankfurt Parliament.

From 2 December 1848 to 23 September 1853 he was prime minister and Administrator-General for Foreign Affairs, Justice, Religion and education.