Karel Jozef de Graeve was born in 1731 (according to some sources in 1736) as son of Regina Verstraeten and Jan de Graeve, Secretary to the parish of Ursel. He studied literature, philosophy and law at the
Old University of Leuven. In 1789, over the age of fifty, he married Françoise Cathérine Kervyn de Oud Mooreghem (1744–1824), widow of Jean-Pierre Zoetaert, Secretary to the Raad van Vlaanderen, the highest
court of the
County of Flanders. In 1760 Karel Jozef de Graeve became
lawyer in
Gent and for some time functioned as
Pensionary to the city of
Bruges. In
Ghent again from 1773 he worked as
schepen to the local government and was mainly occupied with the city finances. As such he was second in command after first schepen
Jean Jacques Philippe Vilain XIIII. In 1775 he was appointed
Raadsheer in the main court of the county, called the Raad van Vlaanderen. He contributed in a protest by the
States of Flanders against the policies of
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in 1787. A few days after his work on a manifesto on November 4, 1789, on behalf of the Flemish Court concerning the Austrian government the
Patriots conquered
Ghent and de Graeve was appointed member of the 'Comité civil' that was in charge of the town. The states of Flanders appointed him as interim
Pensionary, in replacement of François d'Hoop, who was loyal to the Emperor. ==Publications==