Verlooy, Jan-Baptiste Chrysostomus

(1746-1797)

   A lawyer and politician, Jan-Baptiste Verlooy was born in Houtvenne, in the province of Antwerp, on 22 December 1746. A leading organizer of Pro Aris et Focis, he worked to abolish privileges and promote the political equality of citizens. Verlooy backed revolutionaries in ousting Austrian rule in the Brabant Revolution and supported an independent Belgian republic. Following the arrival of the French, he advocated annexation by France. On 20 April 1795, he was appointed mayor of Brussels, but he resigned the same year for health reasons. He died in Brussels on 4 May 1797.