Paul Devaux was a liberal Belgian politician, deeply involved in the unionist

Unionism in Belgium

In the politics of Belgium, Unionism or Union of Opposites is a Belgian political movement which existed from the 1820s to 1846...

 movement.

Life

He began life as a lawyer in Liège

Liège

Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....

, where he met Joseph Lebeau

Joseph Lebeau

Jean Louis Joseph Lebeau was a Belgian liberal politician and statesman, the second Prime Minister.-Biography:...

 and Charles Rogier

Charles Rogier

Charles Latour Rogier was a Belgian liberal statesman and a leader in the Belgian Revolution of 1830. He became Prime Minister of Belgium on two separate occasions: from 1847 to 1852, and again from 1857 to 1868....

, with whom he refounded the Matthieu Lansbergh (later renamed le Politique) as a pro-unionist publication. Elected to the National Congress of Belgium

National Congress of Belgium

The Belgian National Congress was a temporary legislative assembly in 1830, established shortly after the Provisional Government of Belgium had proclaimed Belgian independence on October 4 of that year...

, he and Lebeau defended the candidature of Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg

Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg

Auguste Charles Eugène Napoléon de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg was the first Prince consort of Maria II of Portugal.-Family:...

 against that of Prince Louis, Duke of Nemours. In 1831 he took part in Lebeau's cabinet as minister without portfolio - it was Devaux who suggested Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

Leopold I of Belgium

Leopold I was from 21 July 1831 the first King of the Belgians, following Belgium's independence from the Netherlands. He was the founder of the Belgian line of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...

as a candidate for the throne of Belgium.