Albert Thys
1849–1915 (age 66)
Biography
Albert Thys, born in 1849, became one of Belgium’s most respected businesspeople by embracing the challenge of linking his country to the vast resources of the Congo Free State. He guided the Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie through the building of railways, river steamers and ports, drawing together engineers, traders and colonial administrators so that commerce could flow with safety and purpose.
He died in 1915, leaving a legacy of connecting continents while encouraging the people who worked beside him; he rests in Dalhem, where friends may recall a life spent balancing ambition with a deep regard for those who made progress possible.