Étienne de Gerlache

His Excellency Étienne-Constantin de Gerlache
1st Prime Minister of Belgium
In office 27 February 1831 – 28 March 1831
Monarch	Erasme Louis Surlet de Chokier (Regent)
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Joseph Lebeau
President of the Chamber of Representatives
In office 10 September 1831 – 15 November 1832
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Jean-Joseph Raikem
Personal details
Born	26 December 1785 Bertrix, Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium)
Died	10 February 1871(1871-02-10) (aged 85) Ixelles, Belgium
Political party	Catholic Party
Spouse(s)	Anne Buschmann
Children	5

Étienne Constantin, Baron de Gerlache (26 December 1785 – 10 February 1871) was a Belgian politician. He was born in Luxembourg, and died in Paris. Gerlache studied law. When Napoleon was emperor, Gerlache was part of the Supreme Court in Paris. When Belgium and the Netherlands joined, he was part of a court in Liège. During this time, he wrote several articles about law subjects. In 1826, he became a member of the States General of the Netherlands. During that time he became known for his eloquence as the leader of the Catholic opposition. In 1831, he became the first Prime Minister of Belgium. Because he was a catholic, and all the other members of the government were liberals, this led to many conflicts. In the end, he resigned his post as Prime Minister. In 1832, he was elected head of the Supreme Court of Belgium. In church matters, he was an ultramontanist.