Hendrik "Rik" Cornelis (1910–1999) was a Belgian colonial civil servant who served as the final Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 1958 to 1960. His term ended with the independence of the Republic of the Congo.

Cornelis was born in Oudenaarde, Belgium on 18 September 1910. He gained a doctorate in economic science from the University of Ghent, also spending a year at the Geneva School for International Studies. He joined the Belgian colonial administration in Ruanda-Urundi in 1934 and later served in various roles in the Congo. He was promoted to vice-governor-general of the Belgian Congo in 1953. He became the governor-general on 12 July 1958, being the first Dutch-speaking appointee to the role.

References

• Verthé, Arthur. "Cornelis, Rik (eigenlijk Hendrik)". Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging (NEVB) Online (in Dutch). Lannoo. Retrieved 7 September 2019.

Further reading

• Br*inne de La Buissière, Jacques; Dumont, Georges-Henri (2010). "Les autorités belges et la décolonisation du Congo". Courrier hebdomadaire du CRISP. 18 (2063–2064).

External links

• Cornelis, Rik in NEVB Online
• Gouverneurs du Congo
• Congo (Kinshasa)
• Archive Henri Cornelis, Royal museum for central Africa