Lambert Schaus

Summary

Lambert Schaus (18 January 1908 – 10 August 1976) was a Luxembourgish politician, jurist, and diplomat. He held office as a government minister and European Commissioner.

Lambert Schaus
Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
In office
1967–1973
Preceded byPaul Reuter
Succeeded byMarcel Fischbach
European Commissioner for Transport
In office
18 June 1958 – 2 July 1967
PresidentWalter Hallstein
Preceded byMichel Rasquin
Succeeded byVictor Bodson
Minister for Defence
In office
1 March 1947 – 14 July 1948
Prime MinisterPierre Dupong
Preceded byPierre Dupong
Succeeded byPierre Dupong
Personal details
Born(1908-01-18)18 January 1908
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Died10 August 1976(1976-08-10) (aged 68)
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Political partyChristian Social People's Party

Schaus was born in Luxembourg City to a jeweller. He studied jurisprudence in Paris, and also in Bonn for one term. In 1932, Schaus was appointed as a lawyer at the Luxembourgish court of appeal. Prior to the Second World War, Schaus was active in local politics as a Luxembourg town councillor. When Schaus refused to support the occupation of Luxembourg by Germany, he was arrested in 1941 by the Gestapo and interned in a labour camp where he worked to build motorways. Later, he was made an office assistant in the district administration office of Cochem and was later stationed in labour camps in the Sudetenland and Black Forest areas.

On returning to Luxembourg after the war, he became economy and army minister in the government of Pierre Dupong in August 1946, representing the CSV party. He was responsible for the difficult reconstruction and for the first standing army of the Grand Duchy. In July 1948, Schaus left the government and again became Luxembourg town councillor until 1952. From 1952, he became a special envoy, and from 1955, ambassador to Belgium, based in Brussels. In this role, he was significantly involved in the development of European integration and led the Luxembourg delegation negotiating the formation of the European Economic Community and Euratom.

On 18 June 1958, Schaus was appointed Luxembourg's representative on the inaugural European Commission, the Hallstein Commission, to replace the recently deceased Michel Rasquin. Schaus had responsibility for the Transport portfolio. He strove in particular for a common traffic policy among the EEC states as well as opening of the national markets for traffic and transport enterprises from other states. He was re-appointed to the second Hallstein commission in 1962 and served until 1967. He was succeeded by Victor Bodson.

Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Defence
1947–1948
Succeeded by
Preceded by Luxembourgish European Commissioner
1958–1967
Succeeded by
European Commissioner for Transport
1958–1967
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Paul Reuter
Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
1967–1973
Succeeded by