Anton Reinhard Falck

Who was Anton Reinhard Falck?

Anton Reinhard Falck was a Dutch statesman.

He studied at the University of Leiden, and entered the Dutch diplomat service, being appointed to the legation at Madrid, Spain. Under King Louis Napoleon he was secretary-general for foreign affairs, but resigned from office due to the annexation of the Batavian Republic of France. He took a leading part in the revolt of 1813 against French domination, and was instrumental in the organization of the new kingdom of the Netherlands by drafting the Eight Articles of London which laid the foundation. As minister of education under William I he reorganized the universities Ghent, Leuven and Liège, and the Royal Academy of Brussels. Side by side with his activities in education he directed the departments of trade and the colonies.

Falck was called in Holland the king's 'good genius', but William I tired of his counsels and he was superseded by Van Maanen. He was an ambassador in London when the disturbances of 1830 convinced him of the necessity of the separation of Belgium from the Netherlands. He consequently resigned from his post and lived in close retirement until 1839, when he became the first Dutch minister at the Belgian court. He died at Brussels on the March 16, 1843. Besides some historical works he left a correspondence of considerable political interest.