André-Eugène Pirson 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...

 liberal politician, civil servant, and former 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 1877 until 1881. From 1857 to 1861, he was a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives.

Career

Born in Dinant

Dinant

Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. The Dinant municipality includes the old communes of Anseremme, Bouvignes-sur-Meuse, Dréhance, Falmagne, Falmignoul, Foy-Notre-Dame, Furfooz, Lisogne, Sorinnes, and Thynes.-Origins to...

, he started his career in the army, but left after four years of service to become the State cashier's agent for the Société Générale de Belgique

Société Générale de Belgique

The Société Générale de Belgique was one of the largest companies that ever existed in Belgium. It was founded in 1822 by William I, and existed until 2003, when its then sole shareholder, Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, merged it with Tractebel to form Suez-Tractebel.-History:As part of the terms of the...

, first in Oudenaarde

Oudenaarde

Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Welden, Volkegem and a part of Ooike.From the 15th to the 18th...

, and later in Tournai

Tournai

Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....

 until 1850 when the National Bank of Belgium was established. André-Eugène Pirson continued his career at the National Bank as an agent for the NBB in Tournai. In 1855, he set up a discount office in Tournai and also worked as acommissioner and administrator of a number of savings banks.

In 1864 he was appointed director of the National Bank, and became vice-governor under Eugène Prévinaire

Eugène Prévinaire

Eugène Marie Ignace Prévinaire was a Belgian businessman, liberal politician, civil servant, and former governor of the National Bank of Belgium from 1870 until 1877....

, whom he succeeded in 1877. During his term of office he was confronted by and economic recession and growing tensions within the Latin Monetary Union

Latin Monetary Union

The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th century attempt to unify several European currencies, at a time when most circulating coins were still made of gold and silver...

.

He died in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 aged 64 in 1881.

Source

• De Paepe, Jean-Luc, Raindorf-Gérard, Christiane (ed.), Le Parlement Belge 1831-1894. Données Biographiques, Brussels, Académie Royale de Belgique, 1996, p. 466.
• Closson, E., in : Biographie Nationale, Brussels, Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux Arts, 1866–1986, XVII, 1903, kol. 664-665.
• André-Eugène Pirson