Snellaert studied medicine at the
University of Utrecht (1827–1829) and became officer of health in the Dutch army (1830–1835). After his dismissal, he graduated as a doctor from the
University of Ghent (1836–1837), and became a general practitioner in
Ghent. Snellaert became active in the
Flemish movement. He founded the
Maetschappy van Vlaemsche Letteroefening De Tael is gantsch het Volk, and he participated in several Flemish actions, such as the
Vlaams petitionnement (1840), the
Kunst- en Letterblad (1840), the
Dutch Linguistic and Literary Conferences(vanaf 1849), the
Rapport van de Grievencommissie (1856–1859) en the
Vlaemsch Verbond (1861). In 1847, he succeeded his friend
Jan Frans Willems as member of the
Royal Belgian Academy in
Brussels, where he represented the Flemish cause, and he was one of the co-founders of the
Willemsfonds. In 1849, at the first
Dutch Linguistic and Literary Conference, he held the opening speech, where he argued every possible means should be used to
strengthen the spirit of the people, and that we should fight those who worked against the development of the spirit of the people. Language was believed to be an important tool to influence the character of the people. In the first half of the 1850s Snellaert tried to win a seat on the city council with the support of the moderate Société l'Union and the progressives of the newspaper Broedermin. However, due to the electoral victory of Judocus Delehaye he chose to join the Liberale Associatie ('Liberal Association'), where he was for a brief period a key figure of the pro-Flemish group. However, he failed to break through. His followers, including Jacob Heremans and especially
Julius Vuylsteke turned away from him when it became clear that Snellaert, disappointed by the attitude of the Liberale Associatie, started to think again of establishing an ideologically neutral Flemish party. Despite mediation by
Adolphe Pierre Sunaert, Snellaert broke in October 1860 with the Liberale Associatie, which led to a rift between the Ghent liberals and the liberal, pro-Flemish Snellaert. A similar conflict arose in 1861 in the Vlaemsch Verbond ("Flemish Union') of which Snellaert was a co-founder. The liberal group made it impossible to maintain this politically neutral Flemish association and would establish in 1866 the Vlaamsche Liberale Vereeniging ('Flemish Liberal Association'). ==Honours==