Wyns de Raucour, Jean-François (Chevalier)

(1779-1857)

   Born in Brussels on 6 November 1779, Jean-François Wyns de Raucour served as a lawyer during the French regime and later as a member of the provincial council of Brabant and an alderman on the communal council of Brussels. He was appointed burgomaster of Brussels on 15 June 1841. During his mandate, the city negotiated an agreement transferring furnishings, art collections, medals, and manuscripts to the Belgian state in return for annual monetary payments. The church of Sainte-Marie and the Galeries Saint-Hubert were constructed during his term in office and plans were drafted for the place du Congrès. He stepped down as the city's third burgomaster on 20 September 1848, and he died in Brussels on 4 January 1857.