Died 1 November 1980 | ||
Andreas Frans Theodoor Detiège (Antwerp, 22 December 1909 - 1 November 1980) was a Belgian politician for the social democratic Belgian Socialist Party, a member of the Parliament (1947-1974) and mayor of Antwerp (1976), after he had been (1947-1976) alderman for social affairs in the postwar period of mayor Lode Craeybeckx.
Frans Detiège was the father of Leona Detiège and grandfather of Maya Detiège.
He held a degree Licentiaat Handelswetenschappen (equivalent to a Master of Business Administration) and studied at the Handelshogeschool (college now integrated in University of Antwerp, located at the Schilderstraat 41, Antwerpen.
From 1930-1947 he was a journalist at the socialist daily national newspaper Volksgazet.
After being an active party member in the socialist movement and in the party, he was elected to Parliament in 1946, and stayed in office until 1974.
Later he also became alderman for Social Affairs (1947-1976), during the nearly 30 years of the mayoralty of Lode Craeybeckx in the city of Antwerp and in that capacity he was one of the most influential (politically) architects of post war Antwerp.
From December 1971 to March 1974, he was a member of the Cultural Council for the Dutch-speaking Cultural Community, predecessor of the Vlaams Parlement.
In 1976 after the death of Lode Craeybeckx, he became mayor, but didn't stand for re-election at the end of the year.
He was responsible for the destruction of nearly 5000 inhabitable houses (hovels), unfortunately also some historically valuable houses (that were considered beyond restoration). He was promoting some large scale social housing projects (like Jan De Voslei en de Kol. Silvertoplaan, he gave Antwerp an Olympic swimming pool at the Wezenberg, the 12 stories high modern Middelheim hospital and the adjacent openair museum for modern art, the new Municipal Slaughterhouse in the Internationaal Zeemanshuis. Detiège modernised the public waste collection service and started a network of and medical baby dispensaries, nurseries and pre-infant schools.