Defaux was born in
Gaurain-Ramecroix,
Tournai, on April 20, 1860. He was first a stonemason and soon became involved in trade union activity, trying to organize the working class. For this reason, he had a hard time dealing with the local employers and had to look for another job, which he found during the construction of the Edingen-Ronse-Vloesberg railway. He nevertheless became the first permanent secretary of the stonemasons' union in
Tournai and remained so until 1918. In his native village he became a municipal councilor (1904), alderman (1908) and mayor (1912–1920). He was also a provincial councilor for
Hainaut (1912–1918). In 1918 he succeeded
Émile Royer, who died during the
World War I, as a socialist representative for the Tournai –
Aat district. He then exercised this mandate until his death. He remained unmarried. In Gaurain-Ramecroix a monument was erected in his memory and there is a
Résidence Joseph Defaux. ==Bibliography==